Drago's Dilemma
by Breezyfeather
Summary: After Dan gets Drago back from Spectra, he is surprised to find out that Drago is unwilling to battle anymore. Will Dan find Drago a new motivation?
1. Drago's Decision

"**Heya! Breezyfeather is BACK," Breezyfeather says.**

"**You are? I wasn't even aware you left," Mason says with a smirk. Breezyfeather glares at him.**

"**Anyway, I'm back! I'm sorry I haven't updated in a while-"**

"**A while? More like forever," Dan snickers to Ren, who grins. Breezyfeather glares at them.**

"**Hey, keep your comments to yourself," Breezy snaps.**

"**Whoa, since when are you called Breezy?" Jake asks.**

"**Since a few friends of mine gave me that nickname instead of Breezyfeather. It's much shorter and easier to type anyway," Breezy snaps.**

"**Is that the real reason?" Shun asks.**

"**Shut up! I like to honor my friends, alright? Get over it. Now, One with the new story!"**

"**Typo," Keith coughs.**

"**SHUT UP!"**

"**Yep. Breezy is definitely back," Runo says, a sweat drop sliding down the side of her head as Breezyfeather chases Keith with her golf club.**

Dan grunted, the pain being the first thing registering in his mind as he stirred. His right shoulder felt like it had been beaten by a giant egg beater and then punched a few times by Shun or Ace. His arm felt like he had pulled a muscle from throwing a Bakugan too hard and his head throbbed. It took him a minute to figure out the reason for the pain, then he awoke fully. Drago was back!

Dan sat up with a grimace and looked around his room on earth, which still looked alien to him. He had been sleeping in the trailer on New Vestroia for too long, he decided. He scanned the room and found two red marble-shaped forms curled on the windowsill. Sunlight streamed in through the window, convincing Dan that it would be a good day. His eyes widened as he recognized one of the two Bakugan balls.

"Drago!" he cried, throwing back the covers. The two marbles shook then popped out, revealing the two dragon-like Bakugan.

"What? What's going on?" Apollonir gasped. Catching sight of Dan, he relaxed and then seemed to anger. "Why did you shout like that? We were sleeping!"

"Sorry, but I'm a little stoked to see my battle partner back from the Dark Side," Dan retorted with a grin, his elation at seeing Drago alright acting as a strainer to negativity.

"I'm happy, too, Dan," Drago said with a hint of amusement in his voice. "It's great to be back."

"Good to hear, Drago buddy! How about we get some breakfast, huh? What do you say?"

"Sounds good to me, Dan," Drago said cheerfully. Dan quickly threw on his Resistance uniform and dashed downstairs. As he raced by the door, the doorbell rang, and he skidded into a wall in his haste to open it.

"Dan are you okay?" Mira asked, coming around the corner, rubbing her eyes with one of her wrists. "You just whacked into the wall."

"I'm fine," Dan said, pulling the door open to find Runo and Julie standing there. His grin widened. "Hey guys! Come on in!"

"Morning Dan," Runo greeted him. She glanced past him at Mira, clad in one of Dan's mothers' extra nightgowns. "Did she say that you crashed into the wall?"

"Yeah. So?"

"He never changes," Drago laughed, popping out on Dan's shoulder.

"Drago! You must be feeling a lot better, huh?" Julie cried, smiling broadly at the Pyrus Bakugan.

"You bet. Back to one hundred percent," Drago assured her. Runo smiled.

"So Dan, how are you doing?" Runo asked, following Dan as he led them into the house.

"I'm good. My shoulder hurts like you won't believe, though," he grimaced, rolling his shoulders.

"That's because when you fell you fell onto a bunch of crates," Mira said with a mild grin.

"Of course I did," Dan muttered, then brightened.

"Hey, Master Runo, Master Julie, what are you guys doing here?" Barron asked, coming around the corner in a pair of Dan's pajamas.

"We thought we'd drop by to see how you guys were doing," Julie said with her usual smile.

"Really? It's like, 8 o'clock though," Dan said.

"No, it's not, Dan. It's more like 11," Runo laughed. Dan stared at her in surprise.

"It's true, Dan," Mira announced. "Your mom fixed us breakfast a few hours ago. We decided to let you sleep because you were bound to be exhausted after yesterday's events. You passing out, getting Apollonir, battling Spectra and getting back Drago..."

"Okay, okay, I get it," Dan said, rolling his eyes. He grabbed a box of cereal and a bowl, then a carton of milk and quickly scarfed down his breakfast while Mira and Barron went to change. They returned just as Dan finished with his cereal, Mira clad in her usual Resistance uniform and Barron in his. Runo and Julie nodded at them as Nemus and Wilda popped out on their shoulders.

"Hey guys," Wilda greeted them.

"Good morning, ladies," Nemus said respectfully.

"Morning," Julie and Runo chorused.

"Dan, did you sleep well?" Nemus asked.

"Yep! I'm feeling refreshed and ready to go!" Dan said with a grin.

"And you Drago?" Wilda prodded.

"Much better, thanks for your concern," Drago responded. Dan looked around.

"Hey, where did Apollonir go?" The others looked around as well, none of them spotting the bright red Bakugan.

"He must have wanted some alone time after exerting all that energy yesterday," Drago concluded. Dan shrugged.

"Maybe. Oh well. Hey, Baron, do you wanna go for a run?"

"Uh, thanks for the offer, Master Dan," Barron said, "but no thanks. I pulled some muscles yesterday."

"Heh heh, sorry about that," Dan said, rubbing the back of his neck. Dan looked at Drago. "Looks like it's just you and me, pal."

"Just like old times," Drago grinned. Dan smiled, ducking around the doorway and sliding on the floor boards. He kicked off his slippers and replaced them with his boots, and was out the door before Runo could even walk into the hallway to say goodbye.

"He's always rushing off," she grumbled.

"He's such an idiot sometimes," Julie sighed.

"Are you surprised?" Mira asked with an amused expression on her face. "He wants to get right back in there."

"To take down Spectra," Barron agreed.

"That feathered freak? You bet he needs to be taken down," Runo snapped. "If he's going after him, then it doesn't matter if he leaves me behind. That guy needs to be taught some manners."

"Ya think?" Julie asked.

"So, what do you say we get a little training in with Barron later?" Dan asked enthusiastically. They were resting at the shore of the river that ran through Wardington. Drago was silent, and because he was in his ball form it was hard for Dan to read him. "Hm? Drago, whats up? Don't you want to make sure you can keep Helios and Spectra from getting their hands on the Perfect Core energy?"

"Actually Dan, I was thinking..." Drago started slowly, "Well, maybe its time I... retired... from battling."

"Retired? What do you mean? If you want to take a break, its' fine with me-"

"No, Dan, not a break. Permanent. I don't want to battle anymore."

Dan was stunned into silence. He held his breath in disbelief. Drago didn't want to battle anymore? He didn't understand. Drago had always been keen to jump into battle. He never backed down from a fight, never. Dan couldn't even begin to comprehend the meaning to those words. He stared stupidly at Drago until he shifted uncomfortably and the words suddenly had meaning.

"You're not saying-" Dan cried, but Drago turned away, cutting Dan off as he realized Drago was serious. "But, we've always battled together," Dan protested. "We've always been by each others sides, backing each other up. We've been stopping the bad guys from the beginning, Drago! You've saved New Vestroia, and it's in trouble again! Don't you want to take down Spectra? Don't you want to defeat the Vexos and take back your home?"

"Of course I want to, Dan," Drago replied, shocked at the suggestion. "It's just that... I'm afraid of leaving you without a partner again."

"Huh? Drago, are you scared that you'll be taken by Spectra again?"

"Of course not. I'm not scared of him or any of the Vexos. It's you I'm concerned with," Drago said.

"Me? Drago, I can take care of myself, you know," Dan said. Drago sighed

"Its not that. You were distraught when Spectra took me. You were really upset when I had to leave to become the Perfect Core. Dan, I don't like seeing you upset, so I would rather be your companion than your battling partner," Drago said, choosing his words carefully. Dan closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them and stared toward the sky was still clear, a beautiful ocean blue that made Dan angry. He knew now that the sunny morning had been a false omen.

They sat in silence for a while, until finally Drago shattered it. "Dan? Are you mad?" Dan sighed.

"It's just hard to wrap my head around, you know? I never thought you'd want to give up battling." Dan stood up, looking at Drago as he floated up to Dan's height. "Do you mind if I run a little bit on my own to clear my head?" That made Drago feel bad, but he nodded. Dan smiled at him. "Thanks buddy. I'll see you back at the house in an hour or so, okay?"

"Okay, Dan," Drago said softly, watching his friend dash off in the opposite direction of the house.

Dan didn't just run. He sprinted. The wind tore through his clothes, blowing his hair back. Thankfully his sunglasses stayed in place. Dan easily kept a steady pace, Drago's words echoing in his mind. How could he not want to battle anymore? Dan understood that Drago didn't want to leave Dan without a friend who was always there, but that had never stopped them in the past. Suddenly, Dan tripped over a fallen tree branch in the road, sending him flying across the ground. Dan yelped, skidding. He landed on his injured shoulder, making him hiss. When he came to a stop, he sat up slowly, grimacing.

"Dang it," he growled. He got to his feet unsteadily and realized that he was bleeding for a cut on his head. He shook his head and walked over to the side of the road, sitting down on the grass. He wiped the blood from his forehead and looked up into the sky. "Drago, why did you suddenly not want to battle?" he whispered. His first thought was that it was because of Spectra, but why would that deter Drago from saving New Vestroia?

Then, Dan had an idea. His eyes widened and then narrowed. If it didn't go right, then things would get out of hand. And he knew he had a time limit. He glanced at his watch, satisfied that he had about 45 minutes left before the others suspected something. He got to his feet, ignoring the pain in his limbs, and turned toward the direction he hoped _he_ would be. "Chances are he won't still be there, but I've gotta try," Dan muttered, starting out in a slow jog, then working up to a sprint. "Let's see how this goes."

"**Yay! Cliffie! Ha ha ha! Time for school," Breezy says, grabbing her backpack and heading out the door. "Marucho, post it for me!"**

"**Why Marucho? I can post that thing online," Ren calls.**

"**I could, also, but she said-" Lena starts.**

"**Hey, she said Marucho, and she'll be annoyed if someone other than Marucho posts it," Julie reasons with her usual smile. She grins apologetically at Lena. "Sorry."**

"**It's fine."**

"**Where's Runo?" Dan asks.**

"**In Japan," Zennet says.**

"**Aw..."**


	2. Worries

"**Heya! Chapter 2!," Breezy says happily. "I can't wait!"**

"**Then get writing," Zennet says and rolls her eyes.**

"**Hush."**

"**Not 'shut up'," Shun asks cooly.**

"**I'm trying to watch my language."**

"**Good luck with that."**

"**SHUT UP!"**

"**Told you she wouldn't last," Dan whispers to Jake, both out of Breezyfeather's earshot.**

**ON WITH THE STORY**

Dan dashed down the roads, his shoes making tapping noises against the pavement. It was not hard for him to run this far. He had run farther in the past and this was a piece of cake compared to when he was running from Centorrior and Druman. The thought evaporated as his destination came into view. The warehouses that had for the most part been destroyed in the last battle Dan and Spectra had had against each other.

Dan slowed down to a walk as he came upon the warehouse that had suffered the most damage. Looking at it now he realized that it was highly unlikely that Spectra would still be there. It had lost all usefulness now that it was in ruins. Dan's breathing slowed as he carefully picked his way through the rubble, keeping his eyes peeled for the two Vexos he knew might be lurking nearby. Several pieces of wood and metal fixtures lay discarded and dented on the the ground. The ground was uneven where Apollonir, Drago, and Helios had battled, and in some areas it was charred. Dan skirted those areas, carefully slipping around the broken walls.

The whole place seemed deserted, making Dan's spirits fall. He knew he had to get Drago motivated again fast or Drago would not want to return to battling at all in the future. Dan also knew that if he could convince a certain Vexos to help him, Drago would want to battle again. The only problem was that he didn't know where Spectra was.

Dan sighed, sitting down on the ground and crossing his legs to think. He rested his head against his right hand, his eyes trained on a cloud that looked like a Bakugan ball. He glanced at the watch his mother bought him when he returned from New Vestroia. 30 minutes. Dan wondered where he could find the leader of the Vexos, quickly ruling out all of the places he came up with.

"Where would he have gone after this?" Dan murmured, getting to his feet.

"Well this is certainly interesting. It appears we have a guest," came a sly voice from behind Dan. Dan's eyes widened and he gasped, whirling around. Standing there was just the person Dan was looking for.

"Ha! Speak of the devil," he smirked. "I was looking for you. Spectra."

"Hello, Dan Kuso," Gus regarded him coolly with a narrowed gaze.

"Are you looking for a rematch? I certainly don't see why, after you beat me, but if it's a battle you want it's a battle you'll get," Spectra said, pulling out his Gauntlet.

"I didn't come to battle," Dan said. "In fact, I came alone. Drago's not with me and he doesn't even know I'm here."

"Why would you come here then? To surrender? Even I know that's impossible," Gus said lowly.

"Of course I didn't come to surrender. The sun would explode sooner than I'd surrender to you and give you the satisfaction," Dan smirked.

"Then what is it you want?" Spectra asked. Dan breathed out, closing his eyes and then opening them a moment later.

"I've come to ask for your help."

Mira, Runo, Julie and Barron lounged on the couch at Dan's house, flipping through TV programs. Runo had originally given the remote to Barron, but seeing as he nearly broke it she took it back hurriedly. He had apologized repeatedly, pointing out that he was used to Vestal's more advanced technology and that he expected the remote to activate something more grand than the television, so kept pressing buttons until Runo snatched it from him.

"Ugh. There's nothing good on," Runo groaned, turning off the television. She leaned back against the couch, her blue pigtails brushing Julie's face.

"I was kinda interested in that program regarding animals on your planet," Mira said.

"Trust me. You don't want to watch that," Julie told her. "It's very boring. Within seconds they'll put you to sleep."

"Okay then," Mira said.

"Hey, how come Master Dan isn't back yet?" Barron asked. Suddenly, a red blur shot through the room, crashing into a vase and thus spilling water everywhere. Thankfully, the vase remained unbroken. They all gasped in surprise as Drago popped out of his ball.

"I haven't done that in a while," he grumbled. "Ouch."

"Drago? What are you doing back here?" Nemus asked.

"Where's Dan?" Runo questioned.

"Dan? Oh, he went off on his own again. He said he'd be back in an hour... well that was a while ago. You mean he's not here with you?" Drago exclaimed.

"No. He left with you and that was the last time we saw him," Mira reported.

"Do you think something happened to him?" Julie suggested worriedly.

"I hope not," Runo cried, getting to her feet. "Come on, let's look for him!"

"He's not wearing his Baku-pod is he?" Julie asked.

"His what? Does he have his Gauntlet?" Barron asked.

"Neither. Just that watch Mrs. Kuso gave him when we came back to Wardington," Drago said, feeling worry make his stomach clench.

"Of course," Runo groaned, walking to the door. "Where did he go when you last saw him?"

"Toward the warehouses," Drago said, dread seeping through his body. "You don't think he went looking for Spectra, do you?"

"He wouldn't be stupid enough to do that. Maybe he was just going in that direction for his run," Julie suggested.

"She's probably right," Mira agreed. "But if he's not back yet, he might have gotten into some kind of trouble with the Vexos. They are still in the area after all."

"Should we split up and look for him?" Barron asked Mira.

"I think that's a good idea. Hey, Mira, you go with Julie. I'll go with Runo, and Nemus, I trust you to look after Barron," Drago said. Barron started to protest but Nemus interrupted him.

"Not now, Barron."

"But I'm almost 13! I can take care of myself, Drago," Barron retorted.

"Runo, go get Dan's Gauntlet. That way we'll be able to find each other if we find Dan," Mira said. Runo nodded, dashing up the stairs to Dan's room, where she had lounged so many times before. His Pyrus Gauntlet and all his cards lay on his windowsill where he had dumped them after yesterday's battle. Runo quickly snatched up the Gauntlet and started out of the room, then turned and grabbed the cards.

"Just in case," she whispered to herself, putting them into Dan's old card holster that lay on his desk near his computer. She quickly placed the cards in it and tightened the belt the card case was on around her waist. Suddenly, she heard a shout from downstairs. She straightened in fear and whirled around, diving around the doorway and down the stairs, where she saw what looked like the creep that grabbed her. She gasped, landing with a thud at the foot of the stairs.

"What's he doing here?" she cried and Spectra looked at her, then she realized that his form was almost see through. She blinked in surprise.

"He's a hologram," Mira explained without looking at her. "Gus Grav has these little mechanical hornets that project images of whoever he tells it to. Spectra isn't actually here."

"Impressive, Mira," Spectra said slyly. Mira fidgeted, something that no one but Julie noticed. She remembered that day at the amusement park when Mira and Spectra had battled.

_Who is he that made Mira so uneasy_, Julie wondered, then looked back at Spectra's hologram.

"What do you want?" Barron asked with narrowed eyes. Runo's eyes were widened in nervousness and Mira was biting her lip. Julie just looked mad.

"Simple. I want a battle. Any one of you will do."

"Not Dan?" Mira challenged. Runo stared at her. _What's she doing? Dan isn't here! If he finds that out he'll be looking for him, too_.

"I know that Dan isn't with you, but I know where he is," Spectra bargained expressionlessly. They all gasped in surprise.

"Where is he?" Runo demanded, taking a step forward in anger.

"Beat me in a brawl and you'll find out," Spectra said. "If you accept my invitation, just follow the hornet. It'll lead you to where I am. If not, you could always scour the city until you come across him. Your choice."

The hologram faded and then vanished, and Mira grabbed the hornet. She looked at the others, who seemed uneasy. "It's the only lead we've got. I'm pretty sure we can win against him, if Barron and I fight," Mira said.

"We can fight, too, Mira," Runo said. "If you have a spare Haos Bakugan, and a spare Sub-Terra Bakugan, we can fight."

"You also need Gauntlets," Barron said.

"Not if we use a different type of card," Julie realized. "Runo, do you have a few extras of the field cards from when they fell from the sky?"

"Yeah, I do. At my house. Dan told me he locked his up in a case under his bed."

"Then go get them!"

"Wait, the cards that open up that dimensional field? The white one?" Mira asked.

"Yeah," Julie said while Runo ran upstairs. "I think that if you guys activate your gauntlets and if Runo and I open up the field, then we might be able to all do battle in one arena that we're all familiar with."

"Wow. I never thought of that," Mira said. She dug into her pocket and her eyes widened in triumph. "I still have those Bakugan that joined us after we beat the Dimension Controller at Alpha City!" She pulled them out of her pocket and realized, Yes! they were both Haos and Sub-Terra. She opened her hand and looked at the two, grinning when they popped out of their Bakugan balls. One of them was a Haos Hynoid and the other was Sub-Terra Rattleoid.

"Oooh, Ratteloid," Julie cried, picking up the Bakugan from Mira. "I haven't seen one of these guys in forever!"

"Did you just say Rattleoid?" Runo asked, boming back down the stairs with a few of Dan's cards. Her eyes widened when she saw Hynoid. "Oh no way! We used to battle with these Bakugan!"

"You did?" Barron asked, looking at them. "I thought you battled with Haos Tigrerra, and Julie battled with Sub-Terra Gorem."

"We did," Julie said. "But usually we tried to beat the bad guys without using our Guardian Bakugan. We had two other Bakugan before them. I used Hynoid and Rattleoid loads of times!"

"I used Hynoid a few times, and Wormquake, but not usually Rattleoid," Runo said thoughtfully. "This will be fun!"

"Hold it, everybody," Drago said. "We can't just go rushing in. We need a plan. Well, you need a plan."

"Yeah. First of all, we don't know if the Gauntlets and cards are going to synchronize like we hope," Barron pointed out.

"Barron's right. We can't just go rushing in without a plan either. Come on, lets think about this for a minute," Mira said. Then, Apollonir floated into the room.

"What's going on?" he asked, scanning the room. "Where's Dan, Drago?"

"Spectra knows but won't tell us unless we beat him in a brawl," Mira said bluntly.

"He what?" Apollonir cried.

"We're gonna fight, too," Runo said. "We've got the cards from when we first played."

"But do you have Bakugan?" Apollonir asked.

"Yeah," Julie grinned. "Sub-Terra Rattleoid and Haos Hynoid!" Apollonir was silent for a minute, then spoke again.

"You will need more powerful Bakugan to defeat Spectra. He almost took me down," he said. Runo and Julie looked at each other, then back at Apollonir.

"He's probably right," Barron said. Runo glanced at him and realized that his eyes were oddly shiny. She blinked and turned toward him. "Runo, I'm really sorry, but the last time I battled Spectra, I was using Haos Blade Tigrerra."

"Blade Tigrerra? You mean my Tigrerra?" Runo asked. Barron nodded sadly.

"I battled my hardest, believe me I did, but then Spectra was going to hit Nemus with his General Quasar ability, and Tigrerra- Tigrerra pushed him out of the way. She – took the hit for him," he choked out, the tears spilling over his eyelids. "And the power distance – it was more than five hundred. He took Tigrerra from me. I'm so sorry!"

"Tigrerra," Runo whispered. She closed her eyes for a moment, then reopened them and looked at Barron. "It's okay. You tried your hardest. And now we just have to get her back, and beating Spectra is the first step in doing that. You don't have time to mope around, Barron! Let's go give that guy a thrashing!"

Barron stared at her. "You're not mad?"

"Do you want me to be?" Barron stared at her, then grinned and wiped his eyes.

"Not really. You're right! Lets go kick some butt!"

"Runo, Julie, I believe its time you fought alongside the Bakugan you once fought against," Apollonir said. The two girls stared at him, then gasped as two Bakugan balls appeared out of the air in front of them. One was Haos, and one was Sub-Terra. And both looked familiar. When they popped out of their balls, it confirmed their suspicions.

"Haos Lars Lion!" Runo exclaimed in shock.

"Sub-Terra Clayf?" Julie yelped

"Two more of the Ancients!" Drago gasped. Mira and Barron just looked on, lost for words.

"Yes, Brawlers," Lars Lion said. "We are here to help you in your quest to find Dan."

"If he and Drago do not battle, then New Vestroia has little chance to be saved," Clayf announced. Drago felt nausea attack his stomach as it clenched at Clayf's words.

"We will help you with this battle, Brawlers," Lars Lion said. "And then you will travel back to New Vestroia with the help of Apollonir. You will find new guardian Bakugan for you there."

"Alright then," Runo said with a grin. She held up her hand and Lars Lion flew into it. Julie formed a cup with her two hands and Clayf landed there. "Let's go find Dan!"

"I couldn't have said it better myself," Lars Lion announced. Mira grinned and released the Hornet, then pulled on her boots and headed out the door. The others followed quickly, Runo attaching Dan's Gauntlet to her wrist. _Dan, we're coming for you_, Drago and Runo thought.

"**Yay! Chapter 2: Complete!" Breezy exclaims happily, opening a Google Chrome browsing session. A voice plays through the speakers of her laptop. **

"**Those brats ditched us!"**

"**Either that or they're digging a pool!" (Angered yelling of random words that are impossible to decipher). **

**Runo shouts, "BREEZYFEATHER!" at the same time as Julie.**

"**Oops. Gotta run! Ren, you're in charge!"**

"**Why'd she pick you?" Dan asks.**

"**How should I know?" Ren retorts.**

**Tomorrow is Thanksgiving. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!**


	3. Battles

"**Okay so now chapter 3," Breezy says with a smile. "Yay!"**

"**Yay! You're actually updating again!" Marucho grins.**

"**Yes I am! I'm glad about that, too, because I finally have a story that I'm interested in," Breezyfeather says happily. "And now, before I get too ticked off at _somebody_ for breaking my lamp again(she shoots a look at Dan) I'm gonna let you get reading."**

"**Again?" Jake asks.**

"**Yes, again," Breezyfeather sighs. "Now, get reading."**

Runo and the others chased after the hornet, their eyes never leaving the small mechanical object. It darted around corners, zigzagging through the air like a really insect, making it hard to follow. Mira and Barron were the first to round the last corner, then they skidded to a halt as they came face to face with Spectra. Mira careened into him while Barron managed to stop in time, resulting in Mira and Spectra lying in a crumpled heap on the ground.

"Ow," Mira grumbled, rubbing her head. Then, she seemed to realize her predicament and, with a yelp, jumped off of Spectra. Runo and Julie cane around the corner, then, and glared at Spectra as he got to his feet.

"Where's Dan?" Runo demanded.

"Beat us in a battle and you'll see," Gus challenged.

"No fair! You just said to beat Spectra," Julie protested.

"We never made an agreement on the matter, so you'll just have to accept this," Spectra said, placing his Gauntlet on his wrist. Runo grabbed her field card, as did Julie, and she placed it in Dan's Gauntlet. Julie grabbed Runo's shoulder while the others loaded their Gauntlets.

"Gauntlet, Power Strike," Mira, Barron, Spectra, and Gus all shouted. Runo and Julie yelled out, "Field, open!", and suddenly the six attributes swirled underneath all of their feet. The Vestals all gasped as they found themselves in the white floored battle arena, the sky above them swirled with many colors. Runo and the Resistance grinned, slapping high fives. Spectra and Gus narrowed their eyes and looked at each other.

"Interesting. This is just like the beginning for us, on Vestal," Spectra muttered.

"Yes, it is. When the cards first fell from the sky," Gus agreed. Suddenly, a glow started up near Runo and Julie, and they gasped as Julie's shooter formed, as well as Julie's Baku-Pod. Runo yelped as Dan's Gauntlet began to glow, then because the same color as Barron's. It had a shooter at the side. Her eyes were wide as she lifted it up. She removed it from her left arm and placed it on her right, then she grinned and opened her right hand. Lars Lion popped out of her ball and looked up at Runo.

"Lars Lion," Runo murmured.

"Yes," Lars Lion responded, closing her ball. Runo grinned, glancing at Mira and Barron. Their eyes were the size of golf balls, but then Mira took charge.

"I'll go first!" she cried. "Gate card, set!" She tossed out a gate card and it grew to cover the whole field in between the Resistance and the Vexos. "Bakguan, brawl! Bakguan stand! Sub-Terra Wilda!" Wilda stretched up his arms and let loose a war cry, then brought his arms down to his sides and glared at Spectra and Gus.

"Bakugan, brawl!" Gus shouted, flinging his Vulcan at the card. "Bakugan, stand! Rise, Vulcan!" Vulcan had a power level of 500 and Wilda one of 450.

"Ability activate," Mira cried. "Gun lock!" Wilda crossed his arms across his chest, then flung them to his sides, releasing several flaming balls of mud from his shoulders. Vulcan groaned as they slammed into him, taking a few steps back. Wilda's power level went up by 200, equaling 650 and making Barron grin.

"Ability, activate! Heavy Aegies!" Gush shouted. Wilda's fire/mud balls were suddenly doused and fell to the ground harmlessly. Mira let out a hiss and grabbed another card, glancing at her Gauntlet, which displayed the power levels. Vulcan's had gone up by 200 while Wilda's decreased by 200. Wilda was back at 450 while Vulcan was at 700.

"Ability activate! Iron plate!" Gus growled as Vulcan's legs and feet were rendered useless. Julie and Runo grinned while Barron closed his eyes happily. Vulcan and Wilda were back at their base power levels. "You're going down," Mira shouted. "Ability activate! Volcano hammer!" Smoke shot out of the holes by Wilda's ankles and his feet left the ground, sending him flying toward Vulcan. His power level went up to 650 while Vulcan's dropped to 300.

"Vulcan!" Gus cried. "Ability activate! Pyrus Durance!" Mira gasped as Wilda landed on the ground with a bang and Gus smirked. "Pyrus Durance nullifies all of the opponents abilities. Good luck trying to beat me now." A quick glance at her Gauntlet revealed to Runo that Wilda and Vulcan had once again returned to their base levels. "Ability activate! Titan knuckle!"

"That's not good," Barron muttered. Wilda's power level went to 250, while Vulcan's rose to 700.

"Ha! You're too arrogant, Gus! Ability activate! Copy Cat!" Mira yelled, punching the air with her left arm while her Gauntlet glowed brown. Julie's face lit up as she stared at her Baku-pod.

"Yeah! You show him what you're made of!" she cried happily. Wilda and Vulcan's power levels were even at 700.

"You go girl!" Runo shouted her support. Wilda's hands and forearms shot toward Vulcan, their fists meeting in mid air.

"Didn't she pull that same trick on you the last time you battled, Gus?" Spectra asked coolly.

"Yes. But I know how to respond this time," Gus murmured. Spectra caught every word and nodded.

"Ability activate! Heavy Aegis," Gus shouted. Mira and the others gasped.

"That nullifies my ability," Mira whispered, staggering back a step. Wilda's hands were forced back as Vulcan's began to overpower them. Mira's gauntlet displayed Wilda's power level as 550 points lower than Vulcan's!

"Bakugan brawl," Runo shouted, Lars Lion flying from her shooter.. "Bakugan stand! Haos Lars Lion!" Lars Lion arose from her Bakugan ball, making Spectra and Gus gasp in shock. Lars Lion's power level was at 500 points.

"They're using the Six Ancient Warriors?" Spectra cried.

"That's right, Spectra," Lars Lion said. "And we will not fail."

"You got that right! Come on, Gus," Runo yelled. "Ability Activate! Hyper arrow!" She placed the card in the Gauntlet, glaring at Gus as Lars Lion drew back the bow fixated on her wrist. Julie and Barron smirked as 100 points were added to Lars Lion's power level.

"Ability activate," Gus yelled, appearing flustered. "Titan Knuckle!" Lars Lion's power level dropped by 200 as Vulcan's went up by 200.

"No way," Mira retaliated. "Gate card, open! Phantasm!" Gus gasped as Vulcan's forearms stopped in mid air. "Phantasm is a command card that freezes all of the abilities you're opponent activates," Mira explained. "You're done!"

"No!" Gus gasped in shock. Lars Lion let loose her golden arrow, sending it flying toward Vulcan. "Get out of the way," Gus shouted in desperation.

"Can't let you do that," Mira yelled. "Ability, activate! Iron plate!"

"Sorry Gus," Vulcan called out before Lars Lion's arrow hit him. It slammed into his chest, knocking him backward. He changed to light and then swirled back into his ball form, landing with a few bounces at Gus's feet. Wilda and Lars Lion glowed, then swirled back to their brawlers, who caught them in mid air. Julie and Barron looked at their battling equipment—Julie her Baku-pod and Barron his Gauntlet—and watched as Gus's Life Gauge dropped by half. Barron grinned, looking up at Mira.

"Nice job, Mira," he congratulated her. "You too, Runo!"

"Thanks, Runo," Mira said, turning to the blue haired Haos Brawler. "If you hadn't bailed me out, Gus would have taken Wilda."

"It was no problem," Runo said happily. She opened her hand, allowed Lars Lion to pop out of her ball. "Thanks, Lars Lion."

"That was round one. The worst is yet to come, Runo," she said, floating up to Runo's shoulder.

"I'm sorry, Master Spectra," Gus muttered.

"Its fine," Spectra said, waving off his apology. "Now its my turn. Gate card, set! Bakugan, brawl! Bakguan, stand! Pyrus Helios!" The large dragon Bakugan rose from its spot on the gate card with a roar with a power level of 600.

"I'm going next," Barron decided. "Julie, tag with me."

"Gotcha," she said happily.

"Bakugan, brawl!" the two brawlers shouted. "Bakugan, stand!"

"Sub-Terra Clayf!"

"Haos Nemus!"

The two large Bakugan rose from their Bakugan balls on the Gate Card.

"Another Ancient Warrior?" Spectra smirked. "You must be really desperate."

"Shut up, Spectra," Julie shouted. "Ability, activate! Great Axe!" She held the card up above her head as it glowed and Clayf spun his axe toward Helios, his power level growing by 100.

"Spectra," Helios growled.

"Ability, activate! General Quasar!" Spectra shouted. Helios shot a fire ball toward Clayf, his power level increasing by 200. Julie grinned as Clayf managed to evade the fireball.

"You said you wanted to know where Dan is?" Spectra taunted. Runo and the others stiffened, staring at him. "Well, I'll give you a quick hint. Professor Clay has received unknown data from an unknown source. He managed to finish analyzing it with a technology we found on earth. And we have allies that you will meet very soon. Dan has already met with them. And I think that they might have something interesting planned for him." He dragged out each word, making the threat sound sinister and fear inspiring. The resistance exchanged worried glances, wondering what ordeals Dan had been subjected to.

"_Are you looking for a rematch? I certainly don't see why, after you beat me, but if it's a battle you want it's a battle you'll get," Spectra said, pulling out his Gauntlet._

"_I didn't come to battle," Dan said. "In fact, I came alone. Drago's not with me and he doesn't even know I'm here."_

"_Why would you come here then? To surrender? Even I know that's impossible," Gus said lowly._

"_Of course I didn't come to surrender. The sun would explode sooner than I'd surrender to you and give you the satisfaction," Dan smirked._

"_Then what is it you want?" Spectra asked. Dan breathed out, closing his eyes and then opening them a moment later._

"_I've come to ask for your help."_

"My_ help? What makes you think that I would ever help you?" Spectra asked, regarding Dan with his cold gaze._

"_Well, if you don't help me, Drago won't brawl," Dan said, annoyed. Gus narrowed his eyes at Dan._

"_What do you mean, he won't brawl?" he asked._

"_Drago decided not to brawl anymore," Dan explained. "And he knows that he can beat you. But he doesn't want to fight anymore."_

"_I don't see why we would help you with that predicament," Helios growled from Spectra's shoulder. "If he doesn't fight anymore, it just means he's afraid. He's finally given up."_

"_He didn't give up!" Dan denied. "He just decided he'd rather be my friend than battle partner. He's still loads more powerful than you, Helios."_

"_What did you say?" Helios demanded._

"_That's enough, Helios." Spectra muttered and Helios fell silent. "Dan, I don't understand why you would come to me for help. Why can't you go to your comrades? They should be enough to convince your _friend_ to battle again. I don't see why we would want him to battle anymore. If he doesn't battle, then we win. It's that simple."_

"_I came to you before going to the others because I thought that if you placed me in a spot that would make him see that he has to battle for my safety, he would fight again," Dan finally said. "He doesn't want to battle. But that can change if we give him a reason to. And enlighten him on what might happen if he doesn't. That's why I'm not going to let New Vestroia fall to ruin. That's why I'm not letting him stop fighting. He needs to keep fighting so that we can save New Vestroia." Dan bit his lip, mentally slapping himself. _Okay, how to you expect him to help you know, Dan?_ Dan thought angrily. _You just gave away your whole plan! Smart move, smart guy...

"_And that is just the reason why we shouldn't help you," Gus snarled, stepping toward Dan. But Spectra lifted his hand in front of Gus's chest, stopping him. Gus turned to stare at him in surprise while Dan's eyes widened. Spectra appeared to be thinking over this proposition._

"_You say that we are to put you into a spot that might threaten you?" Spectra asked slowly. "Of course, if we were to actually harm you it might not make it possible for you to battle. We wouldn't be sure who the Ultimate Bakugan is if you aren't able to battle..." Spectra trailed off and Dan's stomach clenched. Was he going for it? Dan crossed his fingers and stared at the two Vexos. Gus was staring at Spectra, clearly against the proposition and shocked that his master seemed to be going for it. Dan had a sudden thought that Gus was sort of like Barron, except more malicious and deadly. And not as fun. Dan had to bite his tongue to keep from snickering at that and Gus glared at him. He quickly got control over himself, reminding himself that he was on enemy turf and if he backed out now, he would definitely be placed in a position of real danger._

_Dan wanted to slap himself in the head again. This was such a dumb move! If Spectra didn't accept this, he would be captured for real. Spectra and Gus would have the upper hand in seconds, for both boys were older and better muscled than Dan was. Dan wanted to groan, but didn't dare._

"_Alright, Dan," Spectra said. Dan's eyes widened and Gus's mouth dropped open. Dan grinned and nodded at him._

"_Okay then. Thanks," Dan said._

"_Don't expect it too often, human," Helios growled. "This is only because otherwise, Drago and I would be tied. This will not happen again any time soon, human."_

"_Whatever," Dan brushed off Helios's threat without much thought. "So... now what?"_

"_Now we come up with something," Spectra said._

"_Hang on. Just so that I know you won't cross me," Dan said, walking forward. He stood in front of the older boy, staring up at his face. "Let's shake on it." He held out a hand and Spectra stared at him with his mechanical eye. Because of the one eyed mask, it always gave the impression of glaring. Dan stared at his eye determinedly and held his hand there until Spectra took it. They clasped hands tightly, then shook, and they peeled away._

"_What was the significance of that?" Gus asked, glaring at Dan still._

"_It's just an earth thing. To trust someone or when you're first meeting them, you shake hands," Dan explained._

"_Okay then," Spectra said. "We must now come up with a plan that won't actually hurt you." Dan thought that he sounded a little annoyed at the end, but brushed it off as his imagination. "This might take a while."_

"_Well, you might want to make it quick," Dan said, glancing at his watch. "They're expecting me back soon."_

"_They? As in the Resistance?" Gus asked. _

"_Well who else?" Dan said sarcastically. Gus's lip curled and it was clear he wanted to spring at Dan and wrestle him to the ground, but Dan was unfazed, knowing that Spectra wouldn't allow it._

"_Well then. Maybe we should just keep you in a warehouse until Drago decides to battle again?" Spectra said thoughtfully._

"_Huh?" Dan asked, a little confused._

"_Well, if we challenge Mira and the others to a battle and tell them that you're in trouble, they'll fight to get you back. You're all very loyal to each other. I figured that out when you got so mad when I took the blue haired girl," Spectra smirked. Dan felt his stomach clench at the mention of Runo._

"_Hey, Runo had nothing to do with this, so you should have just left her alone," Dan grumbled._

"_She's close to you. It's easy to get to you, you know. Friendship and other bonds of loyalty tie you down," Gus said with narrowed eyes. "If you were on your own, things would go much differently when we meet."_

"_Let's just drop this subject," Dan said, annoyed. "Come on, we have to lure them. Wow it feels like I'm the bad guy here," he murmured._

"_Well, in a way, you are," Spectra said, walking past his ally. Dan gritted his teeth and lightly smacked himself on the forehead._

"_If I'm correct, that kills brain cells in you humans," Gus said. Dan glared at him._

"_Weasel."_

"_Pain."_

"_Shut up, you two. We have work to do," Spectra called back._

_Dan and Gus gave each other one last glare and then followed Spectra around a pile of crates. "We're going to battle with the Gauntlets, so you have to be out of sight of them when they come calling," Spectra said. "This warehouse should be good. If you power up your Gauntlet at the same time, using this card(**Spectra held up a card**) you won't be included in the battle, you won't show up, but you will be able to watch. You'll even be able to come out of the warehouse. It unlocks a feature that allows you to become temporarily invisible. Only while you have your Gauntlet powered up using this card though. Although, I suppose that you could power it up right now and be able to watch as they come calling, but I suggest you be careful. It blocks you from being seen, but not from leaving physical traces like footprints."_

"_Okay," Dan said, taking the card as Spectra laid it in his hand. Dan felt for his Gauntlet, then groaned. "I left it at the house! Dang it..."_

"_It's fine," Spectra said. "I happened to grab a second Gauntlet when I chased your friend through the Gate. We didn't figure we would be going back -" Spectra shut up suddenly and Dan didn't expect him to continue. Spectra tossed Dan one of the Vexos's Pyrus Gauntlets and Dan caught it easily, slipping it onto his left forearm. He placed the card inside and stared at the design for a moment. It looked like his "Strike Dragon" ability card, the one linked with the Perfect Core. Then, as the card entered the Gauntlet, he felt an odd chill seeping through his body, starting at his forearm and shooting through his hand, then his arm and chest, flowing through every part of him until he was chilled to the bone. He shivered, then felt himself adjusting to the chill._

"_It makes you a little... cold, to say the least," Spectra said, watching Dan. He blinked then, and glanced around. "Just don't go running off on your own, Dan. I can trace that Gauntlet with my own!"Dan didn't even want to run. He wanted to watch the battle unfold. He hoped that maybe, maybe, this would convince Drago._

_He crossed his fingers again, and then, suddenly, there came a fierce blow to the head. Dan gasped, stars rocketing around his eyes. He fell forward, managing to throw out his hands in time to save himself from another head-jarring blow. A quick glance at his hands revealed that he was still visible. He blinked the unshed tears of pain away and wondered how that could be. Spectra had said - _

_Dan groaned. Spectra. Spectra had lied. That two faced jerk had lied. And now Dan was paying for it._

_But Gus was the only other person with Spectra, and both of them had been in Dan's line of vision when the blow came. Then there were hands. Hands groping at his arms and shirt, pulling him to his feet. He stumbled as dizziness washed over him and then an intense electrical shock jolted through him, originating at his left forearm. Dan cried out, his hand flying toward his arm to try to relieve the pain._

_The Gauntlet. It all made sense as soon as Dan's fingers brushed it. It was the source of the electrical shock. He gasped at the intensity of it and yanked his hand back, then quickly grabbed the Gauntlet and flung it off of his wrist. Silently, Dan was thankful that he was wearing long sleeves, then he remembered the hands groping him._

_He flipped over onto his back and lashed out with his foot, whacking all of the hands away. He got to his feet blindly, feeling a wave of dizziness rush over him, but he brushed it off, sprinting toward a gap in the warehouses. He didn't have a sense of direction; all of his senses were jumbled from the electrical shock. He stumbled every few feet, making his run awkward and slower than he had hoped. Dan knew that they would be after him in seconds and soon he'd be pinned down, but he had to get as far away as possible. It had been a mistake coming here. He knew that now._

"**Well, how's that for chapter 3?" Breezyfeather asks with a happy sigh.**

"**Nice," Shun nods. "I'm not in it."**

"**You're not supposed to be."**

"**Oh well."**

"**Well, I'm going to bed. Having an MRI and then doing who knows what else durring the day drains you. Well, it's 11:09,too... so... Night everyone!" Breezy calls. A mixture of moans and groans and a few jumbled "Good night"'s sound from all over the house. Breezy looks around. " I think I ought to rent an apartment building for all these guys."**

"**THANK YOU!" Fabia shouts.**

**(Sorry it took so long to update. I had writers block and found a really good book)**


	4. Who's the girl?

"**Who's up for chapter four?" Breezyfeather asks.**

"**Was it really necessary to get us up at 5 in the morning?" Ace grumbles.**

"**I was wondering the same thing," Ren said around a yawn. "Does she always do this?"**

"**No. just on days that she's feeling annoying," Fabia says with a grin.**

"**How do you know, Princess?" Mason asks in annoyance.**

"**How come you're not falling asleep?" Jesse asks accusingly. **

"**Because all of the girls had a sleepover at one of Breezy's friends' houses," Mira says, grinning. Alice, Julie, Runo, Mira, Zennet, Lena, and Fabia are all grinning. Dan stares at Runo.**

"**How come you didn't tell me?"**

"**Well, if I did, you'd come and spoil the whole meaning of "Girls Night Out"."**

"**And how come Breezy didn't go with you?" Keith asks."**

"**That's enough questions!" Breezyfeather calls. "On with the story! Well, chapter. But you get the point!"**

"Ability, activate! Great axe!" Julie cried out, holding up the card.

"Ability activate! Shade cocoon!" Barron yelled. Spectra hissed.

"Gate card, open! Ring Zero!" Julie and Barron gasped, their abilities canceled out.

"Julie," Clayf said with a warning in his voice. Julie was staring at her Baku-pod, her lip curled nervously.

"Helios power level 700. Clayf 600. Nemus 500," it stated.

"Agh! It's not enough," Barron hissed.

"Ability activate! General Quasar!" Spectra shouted.

"No way! Ability activate! Spark Roa!" Nemus's power level increased by 200 and several rays of light grew from his staff. Helios's General Quasar slammed into the defensive barrier and Nemus had to fight to keep it up.

"Barron! Use Piercian!" Mira urged. Julie looked at her in confusion and Barron nodded.

"Bakugan trap! Haos Piercian!" Barron tossed the square Trap Bakugan into the air above him, making Julie and Runo gasp.

"Didn't you use one of those the other day?" Julie asked Mira. She nodded, but offered no other explanation.

"Ability activate! Shade cocoon!" Barron shouted out. The white Bakugan's blue wrist guards glowed, growing in size. He moved his arms in front of his chest and a large blue bar appeared between them, forming a giant shield in front of Nemus and Clayf.

"Thank you, Piercian," Nemus said to the trap Bakugan, who nodded in reply.

"I am in your debt, Piercian," Clayf announced.

"You may have saved them for now," Spectra said, clearly annoyed, "but your victory is short lived. Your Piercian can't attack while Shade Cocoon is activated. And after this ability, you won't be able to attack! Ability activate!"

The cards that Julie and Barron held in their hands glowed red and their eyes widened. "No way," Julie cried.

"He nullified our abilities," Barron yelled.

"Not only that, but this ability card sends all Bakugan traps back to their brawlers," Spectra smirked. "It's a card I've never played before, so you wouldn't recognize it, Barron." Piercian glowed, flying back to Barron and landing at his feet. Barron's life gauge dropped by ten points. "Now for the ku de gras! Ability activate! General Quasar!" Spectra shouted.

"Smile, kiddies," Helios growled, shooting a fire ball toward Clayf and Nemus.

"Clayf!"

"Nemus!" The fireball engulfed the two Bakugan, the heat of the flames reaching as far back as the brawlers that had tossed the Bakugan onto the field. Mira and Runo grimaced, shielding their faces from the scorching heat. Spectra was laughing maniacally as Clayf and Nemus returned to their brawlers, landing at their feet. Julie and Barron knelt down, lifting the two Bakugan off the ground worriedly.

"How about we switch our strategies a little bit?" Mira said softly so that the two Vexos wouldn't overhear. Runo, Julie, and Barron turned to her, eyes determined and attentive.

"What do you have in mind?" Runo asked.

"Well, you and Julie are used to battling together," Mira started. "I recall something saying that you two fought against two of the Bakugan on Naga's side to ensure that Dan made it to the center of Vestroia, right?"

"That is correct," Clayf said.

"They did fight together in the world where Haos and Sub-Terra were combined," Lars Lion agreed.

"You two are used to each others battling tactics. Barron and I are used to our battle tactics. If we fight together like that, anticipating each others moves, then we might gain the upper hand," Mira explained.

"Oh, I get it!" Barron exclaimed.

"You're a good strategist, Mira," Julie praised her.

"Lets try it!" Runo said enthusiastically. The group turned toward Spectra and Gus with a renowned vigor. Nemus and Wilda exchanged glances and then retreated into the balls. Clayf and Lars Lion did the same. Runo and Barron each whipped out a card.

"Gate card, set!" they cried out. The two cards grew side by side, a thin line of golden light showing the gap.

"A double battle this time?" Gus said doubtfully.

"Lets go," Spectra cried.

"Your move," Runo called. Gus and Spectra exchanged glances and nodded.

"Bakugan, brawl!"

"Bakugan, brawl!"

"Helios, stand!"

"Vulcan, stand!"

Spectra and Gus had each tossed their Bakugan onto separate gate cards and both eagerly anticipated the battle to come. Spectra was on Runo's gate and Vulcan on

"We'll take Spectra," Mira started, but Runo cut her off.

"No. I want to battle him. I still have a score to settle with that feathered freak," she growled. "And anyway, he's on my gate card. Julie, you up for it?"

"You bet! He's gonna pay," she smirked.

"Bakugan brawl!" the two girls cried, Clayf shooting from Julie's shooter and Lars Lion from Runo's Gauntlet. "Bakugan stand!"

"Haos Lars Lion!"

"Sub-Terra Clayf!"

"Our turn, Nemus!" Barron cried.

"Let's go, Wilda," Mira yelled.

"Bakugan brawl! Bakugan stand!"

"Sub-Terra Wilda!"

"Haos Nemus!"

"Let's do this, Nemus," Wilda called to Nemus.

"I hear you, Wilda," Nemus replied.

"You're move, Spectra," Runo called to the Pyrus Vexos.

"Ha. Ability activate! General Quasar!" Spectra cried out.

"Ability activate! Valkyrie Barrier!" Runo yelled. Lars Lion lifted up her arms, a golden dome appearing above them, surrounding both her and Clayf. Helios's power level dropped down to 400 while Lars Lion's remained the same.

"Ability Activate! Great axe!" Julie yelled. Clayf didn't waste any time in flinging his giant axe at Helios. Spectra gasped and quickly loaded a card into his Gauntlet.

"Ability activate! Nova Spiral," Spectra shouted. Julie and Runo hissed as Lars Lion's and Clayf's power levels dropped back to their base levels.

"We're down but not out," Runo cried. "Gate card open! Silent Land! And, ability activate! Hyper arrow!" Helios was arched over as the Gate card took effect.

"You're going down, Helios," Lars Lion said, drawing back her bow.

"Helios!" Spectra cried. Helios growled in response, struggling against the effect of the Gate card. Lars Lion released the arrow with ease, allowing it to shoot forward as if propelled by a cannon. It sliced through the air silently and deadly, cutting a straight path to Helios. It collided with Helios's chest and the Pyrus dragon like Bakugan swirled back to Spectra, who seemed unable to believe he had lost.

Mira, Barron, and Gus all gaped at Runo and Julie's victory. How had they beaten the seemingly undefeated Pyrus Vexos? It didn't make any sense. But Mira and Barron were jolted from their shocked state when Gus called out that it was his move.

Spectra recovered from his surprise and knelt down to pick up his Bakugan. He narrowed his eyes at Helios and wondered what his allies were up to. He stood up and glanced at his life meter, unfazed that it had dropped by half. "Well, Dan, I certainly hope you're cooperating," he murmured. "Otherwise, things won't exactly be a walk in the park."

"_Things never were a walk in the park with you around, Spectra_," Dan retaliated. Spectra smirked, knowing that he had contacted Dan telepathically.

"Well then, Dan, how are you enjoying your stay with my allies, the Gundalians?" Spectra asked. He spoke loudly, but not so loud that the others could hear him.

"Ability activate! Clay wall!" Mira cried, making Spectra smirk. He knew that ability would slow Vulcan's attack, but wouldn't stop it.

"You're repeating abilities, Mira," Gus retaliated. "Ability, activate!"

"_Oh, that's what they're called? I had just started to call them Spectra's babysitters. Now I understand why you're such an evil jerk_," Dan snapped.

"Well that certainly wasn't very polite," Spectra muttered, annoyed. Dan continued, knowing that he had hit a nerve.

"_Well, maybe if you hung out with a few Vestals you might learn something about teamwork and friendship! And maybe, oh, I don't know, how to be a guy that people look up to?_"

"Dan, you're beginning to test my patience," Spectra said calmly.

"_Sorry, but I don't really care_," Dan said smugly. "_When I get Drago to fight again, you are so going down._"

"Good luck with that," Spectra muttered, closing off the connection.

Dan groaned, banging his head against the cold metal wall of his cell. Of course Spectra had betrayed him. Why was he surprised by that? He was the _leader of the Vexos_. The leader of "Club Evil". The man behind the mask. Okay that was literal. _Dang it! Being locked up and having a head injury does not help with coming up with angry insults_! Dan growled then finally stood up and yelled in frustration.

"Hey! Someone let me outta here!"

No one answered and that somehow made Dan even angrier. "AGH!" He arched his back and let out that wild yell. "I hate this! Let me out of here!"

"That is an interesting request," someone said, amusement in their voice. Dan narrowed his eyes, quickly getting control over himself.

"I see that you've recovered, have you?" A girl asked. The two turned the corner, then stood in front of Dan's cell, smirking. Dan took in their appearances in confusion. _What are these guys?_

They both had gray skin with these gold crown-like things that reminded Dan of bamboo running alone the top of their heads, and then elsewhere over their bodies. The boy had white hair that stood up tall on his head. His eyes were slits but a golden color. He wore a strange outfit: a black shirt with the crown like thing running over his shoulder, except that it was white and had what looked like golden fur sticking out of it. Dan blinked at him, then turned his attention to the girl.

The first thing that he noticed was her green hair. He blinked in surprise, remembering Runo's blue hair. This girl had a white hat made of the same material that the boy wore over his shoulder. She had blue leggins and a blue shirt, covered by a over shirt that had short sleeves and jutted above her shoulders like armor. She wore a white skirt and long sleeves. Her hat covered her left eye with a red jewel. Dan stared at the duo, wondering what the deal was.

"Okay, just people I wanted to see," Dan growled. "Let me out of here. Now. My Bakugan partner is in trouble if my friends loose to Spectra!"

"That's not our problem, buddy!" the girl announced, still smirking. "We're just here because we heard you yelling."

"We can't let you out," the boy said coolly. Dan glared at him, then pressed a finger to the spider web like door that barred him from leaving. He yanked his finger back quickly with a grimace.

"It's infused with electricity," the girl stated, rolling her eyes as if it were obvious.

"Whatever. I don't care. I just need to get my partner back," Dan said, feeling desperation begin to overwhelm him. He forced himself to calm down, but it wasn't as easy as he thought. "He said he didn't wanna battle anymore, and so I went to Spectra to see if he'd work with me to motivate Drago again. But he crossed me and now if my friends loose he'll take Drago, I know it. Even if Drago isn't battling, he'll trick them into letting me go and giving him Drago in payment." The boy and girl were silent, staring at him.

"If he's your enemy, then why did you go to him in the first place?" the girl asked.

"Because if I didn't go to him, who else would I have gone to?" Dan snapped.

"Your Bakugan partner?" the girl said as if it were obvious.

"I did, but he didn't want to battle anymore!"

"Will you two stop it?" the boy shouted. Dan glared at him while the girl shut up. The boy took a deep breath and tried again. "My name is Ren. This is Zenet."

"Hi." Zenet said, sticking out her tongue at Dan.

"I'm Dan, but you already knew that, I bet," Dan said, walking into the cell again and leaning on the wall closest to the door. He was still in view of his guests. "But if you're not gonna let me out, why did you come in here anyway?"

"I told you: we heard you yelling," Zenet told him.

"Kazarina would have been a little annoyed if you were yelling. She might have hypnotized you to get you to shut up," Ren explained.

"Hypnotized me?" Dan repeated, confused.

"Yeah, hypnotized. Its an ability that some Gundalians have," a Darkus Bakugan explained, popping out on Ren's shoulder.

"Gundalians?" Dan asked. Ren and Zenet sighed.

"Yeah. We're Gundalians, invading Neathia," Zenet tried to get him to understand. Dan looked between the two helplessly.

"Never mind. Bottom line, we're not humans. We're only allied with the Vestals-"

"Vexos," Dan interrupted Ren.

"He said he was a Vestal," Ren growled.

"He's part of the bad guys. He's the leader of the Vexos, the people invading New Vestroia—where the Bakugan come from," Dan explained. "That is, if you're talking about Spectra. The guy with the mask."

"Yeah. Him. Whatever, anyway, we're only allied with him because he said he'd help us against the Neathians," Ren snapped.

"You said you're invading them," Dan said slowly. Ren and Zenet exchanged glances and nodded. Dan's face was shadowed in the darkness of the cell, but they could see his mouth, which was turned downward in a frown. "I never really liked invaders. In my experience, the invaders are the bad guys. Naga invaded Earth in search of Wavyrn and the Vestals invaded New Vestroia. All of them have caused destruction and bad fortune. So why," he asked, lifted up his head, which revealed an angry face, "why are you invading Neathia?"

"That's-" Ren and Zenet started, but were cut off abruptly by their own inability to answer. Zenet looked and the floor, clearly pondering the reason, but Ren seemed caught up in his own internal conflict. Finally, Ren spoke.

"That's the emperor's decision," he said carefully. "I only go along with it because I had been banished to live in an underworld on Gundalia. I'd never seen the sunlight. I'm a Dark Protector – a guardian of a Dark Bakugan. I'm the last of them, and Linehalt here is the last of the Dark Bakugan," Ren said slowly, glancing nervously at Zenet, who seemed enthralled in his story. "He's supposed to exhibit some sort of Hidden Power, but we've never seen even a hint of it," he muttered, looking at Linehalt's ball in his hand.

"Really, Ren?" Zenet asked, staring at him.

"Well, yeah. That's why you never saw me when we were growing up. We were imprisoned below the surface," Ren said to her. "He gave me this opportunity to leave if I helped him win the war, so that's why I have to remain loyal. He promised me answers, too, and he'll only give them to me if we win."

"That's why we fight for Gundalia. We know that what they're doing is wrong, but we have no other choice," Linehalt said, popping out of his ball.

"Well, we fight because we have to. We're the Minor Twelve Orders," Zenet said, averting her eyes. "But, Ren, I think you're right."

"We're gonna be taking the Sacred Orb from the Neathians," Ren told Dan. "Barrodius wants it to become the most powerful. He wants to rule the universe."

"Seriously, what is with all of these crazy dictators?" Dan muttered. "Naga, Spectra, Hydron, Emperor hard-name-to-pronounce... geez. But I can't let him just take over everything. You have to let me go!"

"I'm sorry," Ren muttered, turning away... and running straight into a large wall like figure. Dan and Zenet stared at the man, who was obviously Gundalian. He was clad in brown and what looked like armor over his shoulders with green jewels set in it. A brown cape descended over his shoulders. And a Sub-Terra Bakugan floated over his shoulder.

"Master Nurzak," Ren gasped. Dan looked at him, stepping away from the wall to get a better look. He had gray skin and slitted eyes, like Ren and Zenet. It was clear that this man was older than both Zenet and Ren.

"Hello, Ren, Zenet," the older Gundalian said in a heavy accent. His eyes traveled over to Dan and rested there. "Hello."

"What do you want?" Dan asked with a glare. Nurzak wasn't fazed.

"I understand that all of you have mixed feelings about Emperor Barrodius, correct?" he said, cutting straight to the point.

"I suppose," Ren murmured, looking down at his feet. Dan noticed that he wore strange shoes, as did all of them, but shook off the thought and turned his attention back to Nurzak, who was once again focusing his gaze on Dan.

"Listen to me. If you can go the Mason, Sid, Lena, and Jesse and convince them of your argument, Ren, Zenet, maybe I'll help you get the answers you need, Ren, and we'll take down Emperor Barrodius," he proposed. Ren and Zenet were frozen in shock, staring at the older Gundalian in surprise. Then, the two exchanged glances and nodded. Nurzak nodded at them in response and walked out of the prison. The two teens followed him wordlessly, leaving Dan alone with his restless musings. Dan sat down on the floor silently, resting his head in his hands.

_How am I supposed to get out of here_? he wondered. _None of these guys are gonna help me... maybe I can contact Mira with my Gauntlet – wait I left that at the house... dang it! And besides, who knows how far I am from them? Maybe Apollonir will help me? No... he's on Earth with Drago..._ Dan sighed, pulling his legs up to his chest and resting his forehead on his forearms. _This is hopeless. I'm in some other universe for all I know. How am I supposed to get back to them unless they release me?_

Suddenly, he heard a lot of loud yelling. He blinked, standing up and moving to the edge of his cell, peering through the web of metal that made up the door. "Come back here!" he heard someone shout. Dan stiffened, grabbing the interlaced webbing. He heard footsteps. But not just regular footsteps: someone was running. Then an exposion shook the place and he heard a chorus of cries of pain and shock. Then, he caught movement to his right.

"Hey! Slow down for a sec!" he shouted and the person running slowed slightly at the different voice. The person slowed just in front of his cell, catching sight of his face. Dan gasped, taking in her bluish skin tone—no it was lavender. She had green eyes – just green. No iris, no pupil, no nothing. It was completely green. She was wearing a white dress that looked out of place here. She had dark blue hair, too, falling over he left shoulder. She skidded to a halt, realizing that this person was not a Gundalian, but probably trying to escape like she was.

"Who are you?" she asked, looking him up and down. Dan hurried to explain.

"I'm Dan Kuso, leader of the Bakugan Battle Brawlers! They kidnapped me and I have to get my Bakugan partner safe before...never mind. Can you get me out? I'll help you with whatever you have to do. Or at least, I'll try to."

"Dan Kuso... that's a weird name. You're not a Gundalian, but your not a Neathian, either..."

"I'm a human."

"Oh!"

"Can you get me out?" She looked around, catching sight of a keypad to the right of his cell. She hurried over and tapped a few keys, then the web baring the door melted away. He jumped out and grinned at her. "Thanks! Come on, I don't think they're gonna stay back there for long!"

"Right," she nodded. The two took off in the direction opposite the one the girl had been going before. Dan easily took the lead, skidding around a corner. All of the other cells were unoccupied, thankfully, for they wouldn't be able to spare any time releasing more prisoners. The sound of pursuit came quickly and a quick glance behind them revealed the party of soldiers on their heels.

"Hey! Slow down!" the raspy shout of a Gundalian guard ordered.

"Step on it!" Dan yelled to the girl.

"Easy for you to say," she called back, but sped up to the point that she was running at the same pace as he was. They rounded corner after corner, then finally arrived at a dead end. Dan skidded to a halt and the girl, who had lagged behind slightly, crashed into him. The two stumbled, but didn't fall. Dan and the girl whirled around to come face to face with a sharp looking staff – pointed right at them.

"Come along peacefully and you won't get hurt," the guard growled.

"Dan," the girl muttered. Dan glanced at her and she was glaring at the soldiers. Then, she dove forward, knocking one of the soldiers back and stealing his staff. Dan ducked when the one closest to him took a swipe at him, then sprang up at his chest, knocking him back. Dan reached behind him, his fingers closing around the rod of the staff. He twirled it in his fingers, bringing it around to his front. He grabbed the rod tightly and swung the pointed end toward the guard, making sure that he used the flat part of it to hit him, not the sharp sides of the blades. The electric shock jolted through him sharply, and the guard cried out in pain. Then, he fell to the ground, his uniform steaming.

Dan and the girl stared at him, then both were forced to duck when other guards swung at them. Dan twirled the staff over so that the rod part was out and Dan had to be careful not to shock himself. He jabbed the guard in a gap in his armor, causing him to double over in pain. Dan flipped the staff again and hit him on the head with it lightly, sending a fierce electrical current into him. He fell over, his helmet smoking.

Dan turned at the sound of another yell to see the girl ducking between two guards, who's staffs hat touched and shocked both of them. They both fell over, their uniforms smoking. A quick glance around revealed that there were no more guards standing; all of them were unconscious on the ground.

"Nice job," Dan grinned.

"You too," she responded, not smiling.

"Hey, what's your name anyway?" Dan asked. She was silent for a moment and turned to a hidden door, jabbing the staff into the lock. It opened and she jumped through, Dan following. Then, she looked back at him.

"Fabia Sheen."

"**I think that's a good spot to end it for now," Breezy says with a grin. Then, her grin vanishes. "Who else has seen the latest Gundalian Invaders episode?"**

"**Well, we were in it," Zenet mutters.**

************SPOILER ALERT SPOILER ALERT SPOILTER ALERT************

"**AGH! KAZARINA YOU WITCH," Breezyfeather screams. "DON'T YOU DARE HURT DAN!" Dan stares at her, then ducks behind Jake.**

"**I think she's finally lost it," he whispers.**

"**No. In the episode you're chained to a table and Kazarina want's to kill you," Jake explains. "I was there. Standing next to you."**

"**Why didn't you do anything?"**

"**Because that's where the episode ended." Dan looked at him and groaned. "Oh yeah, and Nurzak's dead."**

"**WHAT?"**


	5. Did he really keep his word?

"**Okay then. Chapter 5. Who's up for it?" Breezyfeather asks.**

"**Translation: Who wants to be part of the main plot?" Mira says.**

"**Me!" Zenet calls.**

"**I'm already involved," Fabia yells.**

"**Bring me into it! Dan!" Runo shouts.**

"**I'd like a part," Ren says. (That is more like him.)**

"**The minor 12 Orders and Nurzak," Sid says with a smirk.**

"**Drag Shun, Ace, and Marucho in!" Shadow laughs. Breezyfeather gets an insane grin on her face and the others all stare at her nervously.**

"**Let's get cracking!" Breezyfeather shouts happily, then rapidly starts typing.**

"Fabia Sheen. Well, if you want to be formal, then Princess Fabia Sheen."

"Princess?" Dan gasped, staring at her. She nodded, then turned away and started running down the corridor. Dan stared at her stupidly for a few seconds, then took off after her, his fingers tightening around his staff. _She's a _princess!_ Wait, why is she running then... oh wait, she must be the princess of Neathia. That would explain so much._

He dove around a corner after Fabia and quickly caught up with her. "So what's the plan? Why are you here?" Dan asked her. She glanced at him, panting.

"My fiance! He was killed by, by Kazarina," she gasped. Dan's eyes widened and then his eyebrows creased sympathetically. "He had a Bakugan partner and Kazarina... Kazarina took him. I have to, to get him back! I owe it, owe it to Jin."

"I'm so sorry," Dan murmured sadly. "That must be really hard for you." Fabia was silent and Dan thought that her eyes looked a little moist, but he couldn't be sure. "Let's get him back. Then we can go find my Bakugan."

"Okay," she panted._ More like sobbed_, Dan thought sadly. He skidded around another corner, Fabia following. They found themselves at a four way intersection and skidded to a halt, Dan grabbing Fabia's wrist to keep her from falling. "Thanks," she gasped, sinking to her knees, panting.

Dan waited until she had calmed her breathing and looked around. "Which way now?" he asked.

"I'm not sure. But they're bound to know that we're here," Fabia murmured. "The guards will be looking for us. Let's see if there are any signs." The two glanced around, not spotting any guidance. Dan blenched his teeth, trying to ignore the cool tickle of air that licked at his hand. Then, he froze, realizing what is was. He turned and walked over to the wall, narrowing his eyes. Fabia followed him curiously, but masking her curiosity. Dan ran his fingers over the panel that seemed to have been fitted in improperly and realized that it jutted out. He took the staff, flicking the switch on it to stop it from transmitting electrical charges, and then jammed it into the side of the panel.

"What are you doing?" Fabia cried.

"Shush," Dan murmured, wrenching the staff to the side. The panel flew off, hitting the ground with a loud clang that made Dan grimace. He and Fabia stared into the darkness behind the panel, then both of them flinched and yelped as a huge light filled the empty blackness. It vanished down what they now realized was the elevator shaft with a whoosh. Dan and Fabia glanced at each other, then back behind them where they heard yelling. They nodded and jumped down, Fabia's dress flying up and Dan's jacket in danger of falling off. They both clung to their staffs for dear life, then the next thing they knew, they had landed on something soft.

"What the-" Dan gasped,

"Why was this thing padded?" Fabia asked, mirroring Dan's thoughts as he realized they landed on top of the elevator.

"Who cares? We're alive and that's all the matters," Dan said, standing up. The elevator was slowing, then came to a complete stop at the bottom of the elevator shaft. Fabia got to her feet as well, shakily, it seemed. She and Dan stumbled over to the wall of the shaft, Dan running his fingers over it. "I wonder, if this thing is padded, that there is some sort of door here?"

"It's a good theory," Fabia said. Dan's fingers hooked on something and he grinned.

"I think I found it," he said, twirling his staff and jamming it into the door. It came apart from the wall with a large clang, making both Dan and Fabia grimace. Dan glanced at her and nodded, heading toward the now apparent door, ducking through it with his staff first. He pointed it toward the ground and, to his surprise, found that it touched the ground. He blinked, then crawled through, somewhat surprised that he didn't fall down on his face.

He turned when he had gotten out, reaching back to Fabia to help her through. When the two of them stood up now, they looked around in confusion, for it appeared that they were in something that looked like an observation deck. The two silently crept toward the window, kneeling in front of it with some sort of wordless communication, Dan behind Fabia so that she was closest to the window. Both of their eyes widened in shock when they saw what was there behind the glass. "Aranaut!" Fabia cried. Dan blinked at her and looked back down into the room.

There was a large Haos Bakugan chained to a silver table on the far side of the room. He had a red visor over his eyes and what looked like white armor everywhere else. He looked mad as several cords of tools drifted toward him and started sparking. Dan's eyes darted down to the floor, where a lady with blue skin in a white dress was smirking as she watched the Bakugan be tortured. Fabia must have seen her too, for Dan heard her whisper a few rude names under her breath. Then, she stood up.

"Come on, we have to get him out of there!"

"Right," Dan said, following her as they ducked out of the room and down the hallway. They abandoned their staffs, deciding that they would run faster without them. Dan knew that Aranaut wouldn't last very long if he was under that torture. It was just common sense. Fabia seemed to know it as well, for she was moving more quickly than before, and with more purpose. Her neck was stiff with worry and Dan noticed that her fists were clenched very tightly.

A guard stationed against a wall suddenly turned toward them as they rounded the circular corridor. "Halt!" he cried, but neither of them listened. Fabia jumped up, managing to hit him in such a way that he fell onto the floor, unconscious.

"How did you do that?" Dan asked.

"You pick a few things up if you're around the Commander of the Castle Knights a lot," Fabia said shortly, choking at her last words. Dan felt a stab of sympathy and sighed as they ran, taking the lead as they came upon another guard. He jumped up before the guard detected them, kicking his helmet. He fell forward onto his face and didn't move.

"And I might ask where you learned that?" Fabia asked.

"My best friend is a ninja," Dan grinned. Fabia looked at him inquisitively. "Never mind." He looked up, slowing slightly. "This guy's yours. I think Kazarina's lab is near here, since there are a few of these guys near here."

"You're right," Fabia murmured, both of them slowing to a walk. Silently, they crept up behind the guard, Fabia closer to him than Dan. Then, she reached up and tapped the guard on the shoulder. Dan had to suppress a laugh. The guard turned in confusion, then caught sight of Fabia and Dan. Fabia somehow managed to throw the guy into the air, making Dan gasp in surprise. His helmet was flung from his head and when he landed on the floor, his head hit the floor with a loud "CRACK". Dan grimaced, walking over and looking at him.

"Don't worry. Gundalians have very very hard heads," Fabia said shortly. Dan blinked and shrugged. Fabia walked over to the staff that was a few feet away on the floor, leaned over and picked it up. She looked at it, making sure that the electricity was still coursing through it. She twirled it in her fingers, then jammed it into a section of the wall that must have been similar to a power line, Dan thought, for all of the lights in the hallway went out. Fabia dropped the staff and ran down the hallway, Dan at her heels.

"I take it that you had a strategy when you decided to come here?" Dan asked.

"No," Fabia told him. "You sorta came up with most of it."

"Okay then. Next time you might wanna have a plan," Dan said as they came upon another group of people. One was taller than the rest and Dan realized that one of them was wearing a white hat and another had silver hair. He skidded to a halt, Fabia slowing to a stop and turning to look back at him. He hung back, motioning for her to get back as well. She walked back to him in confusion.

"What's up?" she asked.

"That's the Minor 12 Orders and Nurzak, right?" Dan asked. Fabia stared at him.

"How did you know that? I thought you were a human."

"I am a human, trust me. But those guys came to visit my cell earlier. They might be looking for me," Dan said. "And they didn't really seem all that bad. Ren said that he was basically blackmailed into fighting in this war, and Zennet, I think that's her name, said that she fought because she had to. Are you sure these guys are still bad?"

"Of course they are! They ravaged my home planet!" Fabia cried. Her sharp cry of discontent alerted the group of seven Gundalians of their presence, and they all turned. Fabia gasped, taking a step back. Dan glanced at her, then stared at Ren and the others. Ren gasped.

"Dan?"

"Is that Princess Fabia?" Zennet exclaimed.

"Shut up!" Fabia hissed.

"Might I ask how she got in here?" the other girl in the group asked. She was wearing a dark blue dress that hugged her form and ended in the middle of her thighs, then a coat over it(similar to Masquerade's in season 1) that was light blue. Her blue hair was tied up and had those bamboo like tendrils wrapping around her head. Armor-like pieces of her coat jutted out over her shoulders slightly and they rose up with her shoulders as she pushed her glasses back up the bridge of her nose.

"Who cares how they got here? The boy needs to go back to his cell and the princess can come with us," the tall blond smirked. Dan glared at him.

"I'm not going with you, I'm not an idiot!" Fabia snapped. "I came here... you don't need to know why but I need to get passed you, then I'll leave."

"What is so important that you require admittance to Kazarina's laboratory?" Nurzak asked. Dan looked at Fabia as she stared back at him, showing no weakness other than the fact that she seemed agitated.

"That's none of your business, now let me pass and I'll leave," Fabia ordered.

"This has something to do with that Bakugan Kazarina took back with her the other day, doesn't it?" Nurzak asked. Fabia gasped, her eyes wide. Dan stared at him and then he and Fabia exchanged glances. "From your reaction I'm going to assume that I am right."

"Fine. It has to do with that Bakugan. I need to get him back, it's very important," Fabia said, her fist making it's way to her chest, resting above her heart. Dan glared at Nurzak, taking up a fighting position.

"Let us go through. We only have a little bit of time," Dan said. He looked to Ren, glaring at him. Ren stared at him. "Come on! You of all people should understand, Ren!"

"Dan!" Ren breathed. Dan hissed, grabbing Fabia's wrist and pulling her forward, then gasping as a voice filtered through his head.

"_Dan what the heck are you doing?" _ Spectra asked.

"Well I'm being a sane person and getting out of here," Dan muttered. Why did Spectra decide to talk to him now, of all times?

"Dan?" Fabia asked. Dan shook his head.

"Look, just help her get her Bakugan back. It belonged to her fiance and now he's dead and it's her last link to him. Now, if you'll leave me to yell at the jerk that got me into this situation and then help me get out of here, I would be most grateful," Dan said.

"_You're making a big mistake Dan_," Spectra growled. "_Your friends are making me very mad and you're not helping that_."

"Gee sorry," Dan snarled. "Too bad I don't care very much. Idiot..."

"What is he talking about?" Zennet asked.

"It seems that one of our characters is having a one sided conversation, much like many poets and their characters," one of the Gundalians with an English accent said.

"Ugh, pipe down Jesse," his Bakugan, a Ventus, groaned.

"I say we help her," Nurzak said. They all gasped, staring at him. "We're leaving anyway. I think that any blow against Barrodius will be a good strike, and while we're here I don't see why we shouldn't."

"Alright," Ren said. He looked at Fabia and then at Dan, who wasn't paying attention.

"Well I don't care that I'm acting like a child," Dan hissed. "You're big tough allies are betraying you, Spectra."

"Spectra?" Ren gasped. Dan blinked, looking back at him. "He's your enemy?"

"Well yeah," Dan said. "He's an evil jerk."

"Barrodius made an alliance with him recently. I don't like him too much," Lena spoke up.

"Yeah, he seemed like a real jerk," Zennet agreed.

"He kidnapped my best friend, once," Dan said.

"_Hmph. I was trying to negotiate but you view it as kidnapping_," Spectra growled.

"Well that's what kidnapping is!" Dan shouted. They looked at him like he was crazy and Dan groaned. "He's talking to me telepathically."

"Oh!" Fabia said.

"Come on, I'll take you to her lab," Nurzak said. "Ren, how about you escort Dan to the ship?"

"Okay," he called. Fabia hesitated for a minute and Dan nodded at her.

"Don't worry, Fabia. He doesn't like Barrodius," he said.

"_How do you know who he is_?" Spectra asked sharply. Dan made a face in agitation as Ren grabbed his arm and pulled him to the side.

"Well I don't think it would be wise for me to say," Dan growled. "After all, why do you care?"

"_Stop acting like a spoiled brat_," Spectra snarled.

"Make me!" Dan snapped.

"Shush!" Ren hissed. Dan blinked, looking around. They were surrounded by darkness, the only light coming from a good hundred feet away. Over there was where the ship was.

"_You might wanna watch your mouth, Dan_," Spectra said.

"Why...?" Dan whispered.

"_I happen to be brawling your precious Runo and your friends at this very second_," he said slyly.

"What?" Dan hissed.

"Can someone shut him up?" the tall blond asked.

"I don't think so, Sid," Ren said quietly. "Now come on, make a circle and keep him in the center. He can't be seen."

"Alright, Ren," Jesse said, moving to the right of Dan.

"If someone comes then we're taking him back to his prison cell," Ren ordered.

"Yeah yeah," Sid muttered.

"What do you mean you're brawling my friends? Runo and Julie don't even have Gauntlets," Dan muttered. His fists were clenched at his sides. He was worried. "They don't even have Bakugan. You so called prince bronzed them!"

"_I don't believe that you are in the position to be demanding things right now, Dan_," Spectra said.

"What the heck does that mean?" Dan asked.

"_Try looking up_." Dan blinked in confusion, but looked up anyway. He gasped, stopping, and causing the other to look at him curiously. They followed his gaze and gasped in shock, catching sight of the teenager floating above them. Dan hissed in anger as he noticed the girl that he had with him, and the Bakugan in his hand.

"Runo! Drago!" Dan shouted.

"Dan," Runo gasped. Spectra was holding her at his side, his arm around her stomach so that she was facing the ground. She struggled, kicking and squirming. "Let go of me you feathered freak!"

"You're not going to help things by talking like that Runo," Spectra smirked.

"Does it look like I care?"

"Just be quiet and nothing bad will happen to you," Helios growled.

"Ha! Yeah right, like I believe that," Runo retorted.

"How the heck did he get up there?" Zenet cried.

"Perhaps it's similar to our ability to disguise ourselves as humans," Lena mused.

"But isn't he a human?" Mason asked.

"No, that jerk is a Vestal," Dan said. "He is the leader of the Vexos, a group of Vestals that invaded New Vestroia, where the Bakugan are originally from."

"What? I thought that the Bakugan all came from the Sacred Orb," Fabia said, running up.

"Fabia!" Dan cried. "Did you get back Aranaut?"

"Did you honestly think I'd leave this place without him?" Fabia asked. Dan shook his head, then turned back to Spectra.

"Let Runo and Drago go."

"Why should I? Drago possesses the Perfect Core. Your girlfriend may be a nuisance-"

"Hey!"

"but she is a very good bargaining chip."

"I'm alive you know!" Runo snapped. "I am not an object!"

"Let them go," Dan growled. "Spectra..."

"We have to go, now!" Nurzak said. "Hurry, before the soldiers come after us."

"Dan!" Fabia pleaded. Dan was seething, his fists clenched at his sides.

"Spectra this is your final warning!" Dan shouted.

"Or what?"

"Oh please tell me he did not just say 'or what'," Runo groaned. "Seriously, that is such a clichéd line!"

"Shut up," Spectra groaned.

"Make me!"

"Dan, come on!" Ren urged. The others, with the exception of Fabia and Ren, had already gotten on board the space ship, while Dan was still standing in the middle of the floor.

"Dan, you want her back? Maybe next time you should think twice before making a deal with me," Spectra smirked.

"Shut up," Dan hissed.

"You made a deal with him?" Drago asked.

"Are you crazy?" Runo cried.

"No, it's not-"

"Dan we have to go now!" Fabia shouted. She sprinted over to him and got behind him.

"What are you—AHHHH!" She had thrown him over to the ship, where Ren caught him and forced him inside.

"Dan the only way you're going to get her back is if you, Drago and I have a battle," Helios growled. "And he continues to battle afterward, if he wins." Dan froze, staring back at them with his eyes wide open in shock. Fabia and Ren were by him once again and Fabia was tugging on his arm. Spectra's smirk had vanished to be replaced with a frown, then curled back up in a smirk as his form vanished, Drago grasped in one hand and Runo still hanging from his arm.

Dan continued to stare at the spot where he had been in shock while the hatch closed in front of him. The ship shook suddenly, making Dan gasp and stumble. Ren grabbed his wrist and pulled him to the right, Fabia following. Ren led them to a flight of stairs, pulling Dan up them and then pausing at the top to press a number sequence into a keypad. A door slid closed at the bottom of the stairs, sealing off the outside. Ren continued to lead them through the ship, with less urgency though as the ship left the ground.

Meanwhile, all that was running through Dan's head was the conversation that had just occurred between he and the merciless leader of the Vexos. Maybe he wasn't so merciless after all, he thought.

After all, he _had_ kept to the deal.

**Yay! I finished that chapter! One or two more and then this story will be finished, I can finish Dan and Runo's LegendProphecy, and then The Most Unlikely Alliance, and then maybe write something for Shun... hm... and then of course a sequel for one of my stories... I'm gonna keep that a sequel because I'm evil. xD**

**By the way, sorry about not updating in a while... I had a lot going on.**

**Will you press it?**

**Please?**


	6. OUCH! And what did he say?

**Okay then so much for working on the others... I started a new one. THAT DID NOT GO AS PLANNED! =_=**

**Anyway here's the story!**

"Let me go you crazy psychotic idiot freakazoid!" Runo was shouting. "This is so stupid! Just let me go! Psycho idiot freak moron b-"

"SHUT UP ALREADY!" Gus yelled. Runo glared at him.

"No I will not shut up! Not unless you let me go!"

"Does it look like we're going to do that?" Lync asked.

"Does it look like I care?"

"Uh, yeah?" Lync replied. Runo made a face and crossed her arms.

"How long am I gonna be stuck here?" she asked.

"Oh good she's not yelling anymore," Spectra said.

"I can start again if you want," Runo snapped.

"Please don't, I have a headache," Drago grumbled.

"Sorry." Runo sighed, leaning forward and resting her head in her hands. She was sitting on a crate at the warehouse, Drago sitting nearby. Runo knew that somehow Lync had made it to Wardington and that the Vexos were being very annoying, kidnapping her a second time. But that was about all she knew.

"Will you please let me go?" she asked.

"Now what makes you think we'd do that?" Spectra asked with a devilish smirk as he walked up to her. Runo glared at him and tried to get to her feet, but remembered that her legs were chained to the crate. She glared at them, kicking, but they didn't move very far. And that started her yelling again.

"WHAT THE HECK? LET ME OUT OF HERE! I've had enough of you grabbing me and yanking me away from my friends and all this cra-"

"That's quiet enough," Spectra snarled, pulling a glowing-circle rod out from under his coat. He pointed it at her, looking angry. Runo glared at him and crossed her arms, but was quiet. She seethed silently now, biting back a fierce torrent of words that she wanted to snarl at him. Instead of screaming, she ranted in her head, which definitely wasn't as satisfying.

Spectra sighed in annoyance, turning and walking away. Lync and Gus were left watching Runo, who both, obviously, wanted to be somewhere else. Runo's lip curled and she glared at her feet, kicking out again. The chains rattled and she yelled in anger, twisting her torso and punching the crate. She yelled in pain, feeling her eyes prick with hot tears. Her hand was on fire now, and she could feel the skin tear and bleed. She grimaced, pulling it back and opening her hand, whimpering in pain as she looked at her bloody knuckles. The tears stung and she could feel a lump in her throat, but she refused, absolutely _refused_, to _ever_ cry in front of the Vexos.

The splinters in her skin made her want to cry, though. She bit her lip, fighting back the tears. She used her uninjured hand to wipe her eyes, brushing away the tears that threatened to spill over. Runo let out a few ragged, pain filled breaths, then closed her eyes and arched her back so that her face was to the ceiling.

"DAN WHEN I GET OUT OF THIS I AM SO GOING TO KILL YOU!" Gus and Lync groaned, doubling over, clutching their ears. Runo panted in pain and from the loud yell, then clutched her hand and found that she couldn't hide the tears anymore. They streamed down her cheeks quickly, but Runo didn't sob. She gasped a few breaths every now and then, but the sobs never threatened her.

"Runo, that is why you don't let your anger get the better of you," Drago said softly. He felt bad that this girl was willing to fight, and he wasn't. "It only hurts you."

"Well," Runo gasped, "it's better than getting electrocuted. Even if the stupid blood gets on my clothes."

"You're bleeding?" Gus asked, standing up and walking over to her. She scowled at him, wiping her eyes angrily.

"Well DUH! Why do you think I'm in pain here?" Runo snapped. Gus glared at her and grabbed her hand, earning a gasp out of Runo. He examined it, noting the blood that completely covered her fingers and back of her hand.

"Geez, how hard did you hit that crate?" he asked.

"I dunno," Runo muttered, looking away from him. She ended up glancing at the wooden crate. Her jaw dropped when she saw the dent in it. "I did that?"

"Guess so," Gus said bluntly. "Where did I put that thing humans call a First-Aid kit?"

"Is it this red thing?" Lync called, pointing to the red case that was in between his crate and another. Gus followed his finger and nodded.

"Bring it over here."

"You could say please you know," Lync muttered, getting up and picking up the First-Aid kit.

"And you're helping me because...?" Runo asked, embarrassed that her enemies were helping her.

"Because if Dan finds out that you're hurt, he won't exactly be happy," Gus muttered.

"He's not exactly happy that you kidnapped me!" Gus smirked slightly and Runo blinked, then glared away. She heard a zipper and a little shuffling, then a tear. She gasped next as a cool wipe touched her hand, then hissed in pain as it traveled over her wound. She ripped her hand away in agony and held it to he chest, glaring at Gus, who looked a little annoyed.

"Look, do you want help or not?" Runo glared at him for a moment, sighed, and reached her hand back over to him. He took it again and continued swabbing her hand, missing the open wound enough to get the blood off her hand. "Lync, go on the other side and hold down her other arm. I'd rather she didn't claw my face."

"Why do I get the hard job?" Lync grumbled, jumping over the crate and grabbing Runo's wrist, forcing it onto the wooden crate she sat on. Runo stiffened, wanting to fight him off.

"Let it go, Runo," Drago whispered.

"Be quiet and do as your told, Lync," Gus muttered. "Snake," he hissed under his breath.

"Man, when I came over here I didn't think that I'd be tending to the wounded! This is Spectra problem, not mine!" Lync complained. "I'm a Vexos, I shouldn't be doing this."

"You weasel! It's an honor to serve Master Spectra!" Gus snarled.

"Whoa, chill already," Lync protested, smirking. "All I'm saying is that it was much better at Alice's house in Russia."

"Shut up about Alice," Runo snapped. "You should feel lucky that she didn't just leave you out there in the woods!"

"Heh. What do you care?" Lync challenged, smirking.

"That's it-" Runo snarled, starting to take her injured hand from Gus. She was surprised when Gus grabbed her wrist, preventing her from hurting the cunning Ventus brawler. Lync was clearly surprised, too, but the glare that he received definitely wasn't new to him. He scowled.

"Just keep your mouth shut. It'll do us all a favor," Gus muttered to Lync, going back to tending to Runo's wound. _Next time I'm all for sedating her_, he thought. _At least then I wouldn't have to deal with her yelling and screaming. And now this? What is Master Spectra thinking, helping Dan while we have to deal with this girl?_

Runo grimaced as Gus slowly cleaned her wound. She wondered, briefly, if he was enjoying this. If he was punishing her by going so slow. Her logical mind discredited the theory, but that annoying voice in her head kept whispering false truths. _He's punishing you_. Runo shook her head, biting her lip. _No, he's helping me!_ Runo's hand clenched around Gus's, as he was holding hers. He blinked in surprise, looking at her face. Her eyes were shut in pain, and she was clearly trying not to show it. He sighed, reaching for a gauze pad.

Runo hissed as he placed the white pad over her knuckles, then turned away to look for the bandage itself. Runo leaned back against the crate, her shoulders sagging. This was not how she wanted to spend her weekend. She wondered if Mira and the others were looking for her. As if Gus could read her mind, he started speaking.

"I bet you're wondering at Mira and the others," he said. Runo looked at him, glancing at Drago. "Well, don't get your hopes up on them coming to rescue you."

"What do you mean? What did you do to them?" Runo asked, leaning forward and starting to pull against Lync's grip. He pulled her arm back and she hissed when he twisted it behind her back.

"Let's just leave it at that," Gus said, wrapping the bandage around her hand. A few, agonizing minutes later, he was finished, and used the clips to pin the bandage down. He gave her back her hand and she rested it in her lap, nodding a thank you to him and turning to glare at Lync.

"You can let me go now," she said. He let go, throwing up his arms and closing his eyes, shaking his head. He stalked away, jumped over a crate a few yards from her, and then returned to where he had been sitting before. She sighed, looking at her now bandaged hand.

"And what did we learn today?" Drago asked her. Runo glared at him.

"Oh, be quiet. I already got the message when I was being tortured by alcohol," she grumbled. She kicked at the chains again, halfheartedly though, and sighed. It seemed like she had been doing that a lot lately.

"Dan will come back for us, don't worry, Runo," Drago said.

"I'm not worried!" Runo hastily denied. She crossed her arms and glared at her feet. "I don't doubt that he'll be back. I mean, if he doesn't come for me..."

"Runo," Drago was saying. She looked at him, her gaze softening, and he trailed off. This was all his fault, he knew. If he hadn't mentioned to Dan that he was not very psyched about battling, he wouldn't have run out that day, and he wouldn't have gone to Spectra to make the deal he had spoken about. They wouldn't be sitting here right now, and Runo wouldn't be hurt.

"Runo, I'm sorry," he said.

"Why are you apologizing?" Runo asked. Drago's body spun away from her slightly, so that he averted her gaze. "You had nothing to do with it. I was dumb enough to punch the wall."

"No, not that," Drago said. "This is my fault. If only I hadn't told Dan that I didn't to battle..."

"You don't want to battle?" Runo asked, shocked. She certainly hadn't expected Drago to say that.

"No... You saw the agony Dan was in when he didn't have me around. I almost killed him, too. I don't want to endanger him, but I already to enough by holding the Perfect Core. I don't want to put him in any more danger than I already am," Drago said. Runo stared at him, then sighed.

"You're really missing pieces, aren't you?"

"Huh?" Drago asked, swiveling back toward her. She was looking at the ceiling, appearing deep in thought.

"Somehow I thought you were smarter than that. Dan doesn't _care_ that you have the Perfect Core," Runo said, looking at him. "You're his best friend. You place before me, even. Dan doesn't care about the danger. He lives for the thrill of battle, even if it is dangerous. Heck, that's why he loves it so much." She grinned at that, despite her doubts about him. "Drago, he went with you to New Vestroia even though he knew it was dangerous. He wanted to help you and the rest of the Bakugan. You're his best friend, and he'll give everything to help you, even if it means putting himself in danger." She made a face. "He puts himself in danger way to often, though, because he can be so dimwitted."

"You're telling me," Drago muttered, but Runo could hear the good nature-ed humor in his voice. She laughed lightly and then continued.

"The thing is, Drago, is that no matter what, Dan will battle his hardest for you. He won't care about the danger, he'll fight. He'll take on Spectra to protect the Perfect Core, which is what you're doing. You and Dan both fight on the good side, and I can't see a better partner for him." After a few moments of silence, Drago nodded.

"Yes, you're right. Even though I hate putting him in danger like it, it seems to be what Dan wants. I have to admit, I enjoy brawling, too. Sitting on the sidelines just isn't something I would do, and Dan definitely wouldn't just sit back and take it."

"Exactly," Spectra said, coming around the corner with a smirk. Runo and Drago looked at him, confused. "Dan came to me after you told him that you didn't want to battle anymore. I decided that that would be a problem for me, since without you fighting we wouldn't know who the Ultimate Bakugan was. So, he and I made a deal, hoping to find you motivation. It originally consisted of Dan being held hostage so that you would battle, but he thought that I actually had crossed him and ruined that plan. So, after you challenged me, Runo," he said, turning to her with a smirk, "I decided to switch tactics. And lets just say that a talk from Runo was probably the best thing that you needed, Drago."

"What the heck?" Drago asked.

"Exactly what I was thinking," Runo said.

"Look. How about you guys act as if you know nothing? I'm sure that you're mad at him for leaving you behind in New Vestroia, right Runo?" Gus said. Runo looked at him as he walked up behind Spectra and blinked, unsure, thinking that it would be a little cruel to do that, but in the end decided to go for it. She grinned and nodded, now realizing that these guys wouldn't hurt her, but were helping her right now. Dan just wouldn't be the same person if he stopped brawling, so she wanted him to continue.

Drago stared at her for a minute, then nodded, too. Spectra's lip curled upward in a devilish grin, then snapped his fingers. The locks on Runo's ankles unsnapped and fell away, much to Runo's surprise. She glanced at them, then looked back at Spectra.

"How about we make things a little more... dramatic?" he asked, tossing Helios into the air and catching him.

"What did you have in mind?" Runo inquired, returning his smirk. Drago looked between the two, feeling slightly uneasy. However, he decided Dan needed to be taught a lesson for going to his enemy for help. And this would be just the way to teach him that lesson.

**Breezyfeather: Okay, it took me way longer than I expected to update that. I'm really sorry, those of you that are reading it. I had writers block in the beginning, and I had started writing the other story, as you know. I sort of forgot about this project. I'm really sorry that the chapter is short after all that waiting, but the next chapter will be worth it! I'll try to update quick this time.**

**Dan: Let's all hope so...**

**Shun: Yeah. I'd like to get out of the pods.**

**Breezy: Oh, pipe down.**


	7. Alliances

**Breezyfeather: Agh, I just can't seem to keep up with this!**

**Dan: Esh, you're worse than me!**

**Breezyfeather: Who asked you?**

**Mason: Let it go.**

**Avior: I have to agree with the smart-alack at this point.**

**Dan and Breezyfeather: o.O**

"Are we getting close?" Dan asked, unaware that this was the 58th time he had asked that. Zenet and Lena both looked very irritated while Fabia had rested her head in her hands to keep from attacking Dan. Zid was trying not to hit something while Ren banged his head against the wall. Even Jesse looked mildly annoyed. Mason, on the other hand, was at the point of strangling the kid for all of his questions and had to keep biting his lip to keep from screaming at him to shut up.

"Will you quit asking?" Sid growled. Mason glanced at him. Apparently he wasn't the only one at the end of his patience. "You're girlfriend is gonna be fine," he said gruffly.

"She better for the amount of questions I've had to put up with," Mason muttered under his breath.

"What'd ya say?"

"Uh, nothing? Right Mason?" Avior covered.

"Yeah," Mason agreed, looking at the controls. He and Nurzak were piloting the ship, and they were nearing the planet Dan called Earth. Where had Mason heard that name before?

"So this is Earth?" Zenet asked, looking out the window. Mason glanced at her, reminded by her comment that she was the youngest. Her curiosity gave it away, big time. Fabia and Lena joined her at the window, staring through the darkness that was space at the blue planet.

"How close do you think we can get?" Nurzak asked Dan. "As I recall, it is not a normal thing to see alien space ships in the sky on your planet."

"Yeah, it's not. Most people don't even know about the Bakugan," Dan said, snapping out of his "I'm worried about my girlfriend" trance long enough to recall that. "A ship like yours would cause panic."

"Then I suppose that dimensional transport is a must right now, correct?" Dan nodded, their eyes meeting seriously. Nurzak stood up from his seat and the floating keyboards that he was using to pilot the ship vanished. He walked over to Dan and the others, passing them and lifting his hand in a "follow" motion. The teens all turned to follow the aged Gundalian through the doors and down a hallway, finding themselves in a transporter room.

"Dan, I'll send the Minor Twelve Orders with you," Nurzak said, walking over to a computer-like device protruding from the floor. Dan blinked at him and Fabia bounded over to his side.

"I've heard you guys mention the Twelve Orders before. What are they?"

"The Minor Twelve Orders are the six brawlers in the room with us. They're the younger of the Twelve Orders, a group of brawlers that protects the Royal Family of Gundalia. Emperor Barrodius is the Darkus brawler of the Major Twelve Orders, like Nurzak is the Sub-Terra brawler of the Major Twelve Orders. Ren is the Darkus brawler of the Minor Twelve Orders, like Zenet is the Haos brawler. Understand?" Fabia asked. Dan stared at her.

"I think," Dan stated.

"I'll come too," she announced, glaring at Nurzak as if daring him to contradict her. "I think that it is important that we remain united on this, and if you are going to join Nethia's forces in the war against Gundalia, then I believe that I should learn how to work alongside your teammates."

"Very well, Princess," Nurzak nodded. "Now, will all of you please change into your human forms?" Dan blinked in confusion while a white glow started up from next to him. He gasped, whirling around to see what was the cause of it, and was blinded by several more glows that grew from around him.

His arms covered his eyes instinctively and when the light dimmed, he blinked the flashbulbs from his pupils. He peered through his arms at the Gundalians and Nethian in his vicinity and his jaw dropped in surprise. All of them now appeared as humans! Ren had silver hair and darker skin than the rest of the people in the room, his eyes were golden, and he wore a purple shirt and gray pants. Fabia's outfit reminded Dan of Runo's, except that she had a white vest on over that with the fabric descending around her legs almost like a skirt, but in the back it was more similar to a tailcoat than a skirt. The others wore various outfits that coincided with their brawling attributes: Lena wore a blue dress with a slit down the front and leggins underneath, Zenet wore a yellow vest over a blue belly shirt, Mason a brown jacket over a white shirt, Sid a red and black jacket, and Jesse a green jacket that was more like a trench coat than anything else.

Dan's bulging eyes made the teens shift uncomfortably and prompted Sid to complain about it. "Do you mind?" the muscled teen growled, and Dan snapped out of his dazed, confused stare.

"Oh, sorry," he automatically responded, rubbing the back of his neck and grinning sheepishly. Sid rolled his eyes and turned to Nurzak.

"Okay, we can go now," he said, looking irritated. Nurzak raised an eyebrow at him.

"Is that any way to speak to your elders?"

"Sorry," Sid corrected himself, making an annoyed face. Nurzak sighed and typed a few commands into the device in front of him.

"Dan, what are the coordinates of your home town, or wherever you believe Spectra is holding Runo?"

"Uh... Hold on, can't you just find that information on my Gauntlet?" He walked over to the Gundalian Elder and held out the piece of Vestal technology. "I'm pretty sure Mira told me that it would automatically save it to a chip inside."

"Give me a few seconds and I'll be able to find it," Nurzak said, plugging a few wires into the Gauntlet and turning back to the device in front of him. Just as he said, a few seconds later his mouth curled into a satisfied grin. He unplugged the Gauntlet and handed it back to Dan, who strapped it to his forearm, aware of the upcoming battle.

"Alright all of you," Nurzak began, lifting his gaze to the eight teens in the room. "Be careful. I've met this Spectra character before. He's devious and cunning, so watch yourselves."

"Will do," Ren said with a nod.

"Yeah," Fabia agreed.

"He's kidnapped Runo in the past. I'm not letting him get away with it again," Dan vowed, holding up a fist. Nurzak nodded at him.

"I wish you good luck." And with that, he pushed the button on the device in front of him, and the group of teens before him vanished into the air.

When Dan opened his eyes, he was blinking in the sunlight on the front steps of Runo's cafe. Thankfully, there was no one in sight, and he let out a sight of relief that no one had seen their grand and unexpected entrance. However, someone must have, because the door behind them burst open right then. It had been pushed back with such force that the bang made Dan wince, but then his head smacked into the concrete, earning a yelp of pain.

"Dan! You're back!" Dan grimaced, detecting a trickle of blood begin to make its way down the side of his head as he blinked away the stars in his vision.

"J-Julie?" he stammered, trying to focus.

"Yeah, yeah! Oh, are you okay? Sorry!" Dan shook his head, instantly regretting it, though, when a wave of dizziness crashed over him.

"Ohh... ow... yeah, that's gonna leave a mark," he coughed as Julie got off of him.

"Are you okay, Master Dan?" Baron asked, his hand closing around Dan's wrist. Dan's hand groped for Baron's wrist before he tried to get up, and Ren hurried to help Dan to his feet as well. Between the two of them, Dan was able to get up and steady before looking around.

"Mira, Julie, Baron, hey, how's it going?" he asked, grimacing and rubbing his head.

"Sorry Dan!" Julie cried, looking worried. She hesitated a moment before Mira spoke.

"You didn't happen to see—Runo?" Mira and Baron were staring at Fabia, who blinked and glanced around.

"Me?" Fabia asked, pointing at herself.

"Yeah, you! Runo, is that you? What did you do to your hair? Oh my gosh, thank goodness you're safe!" Mira gasped, pushing toward Fabia, who looked confused.

"Uh, actually, that's," Dan started, but was cut off by Baron.

"Master Runo, I thought that you were taken by Spectra!" Baron marveled. "How did you escape?"

"I'm not Runo," Fabia protested. "I'm Princess Fabia of Nethia."

"Do you rehearse that?" Sid asked with a smirk

"Yes, because I have an ego problem, no I didn't rehearse it!" Fabia snapped, making Sid glare at her. She rolled her eyes.

"Nethia?" Julie asked.

"Nethia is my home planet that is currently being attacked by Gundalians in a war," Fabia hastily explained. Dan sighed at Mira, Baron, and Julie's confused looks.

"Look, we'll explain inside where we won't get any weird looks," Dan said. "It's a long story."

"Well lucky for you, we just closed," Julie said, looking on the bright side as always.

"So you didn't find Runo?" Mira asked Dan.

"Uh... yes and no?" Dan said, looking at his bloodstained fingers.

"How can it be yes and know?" Wilda asked.

"Well, Spectra—Ugh, come on inside and we'll explain!"

Baron led the way into the cafe and started pulling down chairs from the tables while Julie skated into the back in search of drinks for the party of eleven. After a few minutes, all of the chairs were down on the ground and Julie reappeared with glasses of water balanced on a tray.

"Have a seat," she said, placing the drinks on the counter. Dan sank into a chair, an action mirrored by the Nethian and Gundalians a few seconds later. Mira refused to sit down while Baron stood by her side, baking up the Vestal Resistance leader.

"Okay, so tell us what the heck happened, starting with the deal with Spectra," Mira demanded.

"You know about that?"

"Yeah... we sorta brawled him and Gus..." Baron said.

"Yeah, I know. Who won?"

"You talk first! And who're these guys?" Julie asked. Dan sighed, resting his head in his hands.

"Okay, I'll start at the deal. So, you see..." The explanation ended up taking a good forty five minutes, minus questions and corrections made by a certain blunnet and silver-haired Gundalian. When they had finished, Dan was practically bursting with curiosity about the battle between the Resistance and the Vexos, a story that Mira sullenly began to tell.

"Spectra challenged us to a battle, which must have been part of that plan of yours. Runo and Julie were gifted with Haos Lars Lion and Sub-Terra Clayf for the battle, courtesy of Apollonir, and before you interrupt," she said quickly, noticing the gleam in Dan's eyes, "they returned to the Perfect Core shortly after we won and Spectra grabbed Runo. We battled each other, and we were victorious in the end, but just before the Field closed, Spectra grabbed Runo and teleported out. How that was even possible, I have no idea, but he just up and vanished, grabbing Drago, too."

"Huh," Dan muttered. "I'm gonna kill that creep for nabbing the both of them while being such a coward. I know that he was just doing it as a lure, but did he really have to take Runo, too?"

"Well, maybe that was supposed to be added leverage?" Ren suggested. "I mean, if your capture didn't work out, then the life of one of your close friends would certainly be enough to change his mind, right?"

"I guess," Dan nodded. "It makes sense."

"So what do we do now?" came the inevitable question. Julie was the one that had enough courage to voice it, and several nervous glances were thrown in response to it. After a few seconds of silence, all eyes turned to Dan, and he, in turn, met the eyes of everyone in the room.

"Simple," he said, standing up. "We meet the wolf in his lair. Or in this case, the chicken in his coop." That made Julie, Mira, and Baron grin, remembering Runo's remark about Spectra being a "weirdo in a chicken suit".

"So where do we go?" Mason asked.

"Yeah, I'm sure that's something we'd all like to know," Sid smirked. Dan shot him a "what's your problem?" look, but grinned afterward.

"I think he's still at the warehouses," he said, "so let's head over there."

"Alright then," Lena affirmed. Zenet nodded from her seat beside Lena and Fabia gave Dan a thumbs-up. Dan grinned and started toward the door.

"H-hey! Give me a minute to lock up!" Julie protested. "Mrs. Misaki! We're going out!" she shouted, making Dan rub his ear. "Sorry."

"Eh, don't worry about it," Dan said.

"You didn't even get the worst of it," Baron muttered, looking like he was in pain.

"Oh, sorry Baron," Julie apologized. Baron grimaced at her.

"I suggest we get on our way before this situation progresses any further and begins to get out of hand," Jesse stated, tilting his head upward but closing his eyes and lifting a hand to illustrate his point.

"What...?" Dan asked, raising an eyebrow.

"He means "let's get going"," Zenet translated, looking eager to see the action at the warehouses.

After a few minutes, Julie and the others were ready to get going. From there, Dan led the way outside, into the light of the setting sun. He and Mira took the lead from there, heading in the direction of the warehouses on the other side of Wardington. It took a good half hour to reach them, not counting when they had to stop to keep Fabia from getting into a fight with Sid. When they did reach them, Dan made all of them be quiet and proceeded to quietly peer through warehouse door after warehouse door in search of the one he knew was occupied by his enemy.

"How long is this gonna take?" Sid asked.

"Why, got somewhere to be?" Ren questioned. Sid's lip curled and he turned away from the Darkus battler, prompting Ren to roll his eyes and look annoyed. Dan blinked at the exchange, then went back to searching for Runo.

A gasp from Mira made him jump and whirl around, spotting her in front of the doors to a warehouse. She had a hand over her mouth and looked like she was horrified. Dan darted over to her side and followed her gaze, his eyes widening.

"Runo!"

**Breezyfeather: Okay, I'll stop there because that's a really evil cliff hanger.**

**Dan: I really-**

**Breezy: Yeah yeah, we know you don't like me. Tough.**

**Runo: (evil grin)**

**Spectra: (evil grin)**

**Gus: ….**

**Lync: Why am I here?**

**Jesse: (about to say something annoying)**

**Plitheon: Don't even start, _please._**

**Reviews!**

**I LOVE THEM!**


	8. Trickery

**Breezyfeather: Last chapter?**

**Dan: Possibly. Try to post this before next week.**

**Breezyfeather: I have 4 fanfics to finish! Dan and Runo's LegendProphecy, Drago's Dilemma, Searching for Spectra, The Most Unlikely Alliance, And Ultimatum. Okay that's five. I AM IN OVER MY HEAD HERE!**

**Ace: It's your fault.**

**Breezyfeather: I know, and next time I don't think I'll do as many at once! But I also have a to do my confirmation packet before the end of this month along with the report on my saint!**

**Joe (grinning): Sound's like you've got your hands full.**

**Breezyfeather: ….Are you and Mason related?**

**Mason: Where did that come from?**

**Joe: Random much?**

**Breezy: You've got the same last name.**

**Joe and Mason: (looks at each other) We are not related.**

**Breezyfeather: Oh. Okay then. READ ON!**

"Runo!"

The Gundalians and Vestals accompanying Dan and Julie were frozen in shock at the sight before them. Only Julie and Dan seemed to be able to move, but neither of them dared to. The risk of glimpsing worse made them stay in place, until Dan broke the spell.

He burst forward, rushing through the door of the warehouse, while Julie followed close behind. Mira and the others remained by the door until Fabia started forward, at which point Mira and Baron closed the gap between themselves and the unconscious bluenett.

"Runo!"

The girl was sprawled on the floor, completely limp in the center of the room. It looked as if she had been dumped there like a sack of dirty laundry, lost and forgotten. Her face was tilted to the side and her eyes were closed, her lips slightly parted. Her face was deathly pale and there were dark circles under her eyes. Bandages were wrapped around her wrists and looked bloodstained. The white vest's straps were disheveled, one of them hanging off her arm.

Dan had lifted her into his arms, but her head lolled. She didn't respond to the multiple shouts to rouse her on his part, and didn't even stir when Julie pushed Mira aside to get to her friend.

Dan didn't understand. He thought that Spectra was supposed to be helping him. He knew that Spectra had taken Runo as extra leverage against himself and Drago, making it seem like Dan had no idea of Spectra's motives, but why would he go to such an extent? Why would he hurt Runo like this? She wouldn't even wake up to Dan and Julie's frantic cries! Spectra had gone too far this time. Even if he was helping Dan to get Drago to battle again, taking Runo and hurting her like this was crossing the line. He would see to it that the feathered freak payed for his crimes.

"Spectra!" Dan shouted, getting to his feet after gently placing Runo in Julie's arms. "Where are you?" He clenched his fists and whirled around, trying to see where the masked freak was hiding. "Come out here and face me, coward!"

"You've got some nerve, calling _me_ a coward," a cold, sly voice remarked. Dan whirled around, catching sight of a flash of red turning a corner.

"What did you do to Runo?" he demanded. "Where's Drago?"

"Dan!" Drago shouted, popping out of his ball in Gus's outstretched hand.

"Drago!" The dragon Bakugan didn't waste any time in jumping away from the brown-clad Sub-Terra brawler. He shot over to Dan, who caught him easily. "Spectra..." he hissed. "I thought we had a deal!"

"That deal said nothing about your Brawler friends," Spectra stated simply.

"But I thought it was obvious that I didn't want them involved when I didn't go to them first!" Dan bellowed. "You've hurt Runo! And you're gonna pay..."

He and Spectra lifted their Gauntlets.

"Dan, wait!" Mira cried, starting toward them. Dan and Spectra paid her no heed, shouting in unison, "Gauntlet, power strike!" Julie shot to her feet and her hand slammed down on Dan's shoulder just a second before she would have been caught in the time warp, and thanks to this action, she was spared. Mira wasn't so lucky, though, and Julie could see the girl on her way toward the group. She hurried back to Runo's side, lifting Runo and pulling her away from the battle that was going to take place.

"Don't. Move," Gus threatened, appearing in front of Julie. She gasped, turning to the side to find an alternate route, but found her path blocked by none other than Lync, who was smirking.

"Where do you think you're going?" he asked. Julie hissed.

"Dan, good luck!" she called.

"Hmph," Dan grunted. "Gate card, set!" He sent his Gate Card shooting toward the field, where it grew in size. "Bakugan, brawl! Bakugan, stand! Let's make 'em pay, Drago!" Drago rose up out of his ball with a mighty roar, but that wasn't enough to deter Spectra.

"Hmph. Helios," he said, and the Pyrus Bakugan jumped into his hand. "Bakugan, brawl! Bakugan stand! Rise, Pyrus Viper Helios!"

"Time for a rematch," Helios hissed.

"Yeah, whatever," Dan growled. "Ability, activate! Burning Dragon!"

"You're going down, Helios," Drago said, looking mad.

"Ability, activate! Void Stream!"

"Choke on this, Drago," Helios taunted, but Drago didn't take the bait, even as his ability was proven useless. Dan hissed as Drago swerved away from Helios's punch, then glanced back at Julie, Gus, Lync, and Runo. Julie was still standing in between the two boys, Runo on her back, still unconscious. Julie kept glancing from boy to boy, as she was trapped between them, then her eyes darted to Dan's.

"Don't worry about this," she called. "We'll be fine!" Dan nodded and turned away, glaring at Spectra.

"Gate card, open! Silent land! And fusion ability activate! Pyrus Slayer!" Dan cried out, pointing his left hand toward Spectra, who stared at his gauntlet. Drago's power level had shot up to 700 while Helios' dropped to 400. Dan could feel a tiny bit of satisfaction at this accomplishment, but it didn't really matter to him. He would only be truly satisfied when he made Spectra pay for hurting Runo like he had.

Drago shot toward Helios, surrounded by a column of flame, and crashed into the darker dragon before Spectra could counter. Helios let out a guttural growl as he was forced back into his Bakugan ball and was sent flying across the room to land at Spectra's feet. Spectra's Life Gauge dropped to sixty percent and Dan easily caught Drago, his face not showing any satisfaction at the victory.

"What, no snide remarks, Dan?" Spectra asked, bending to pick up Helios.

"Not today, Spectra," Dan hissed. "How dare you trick me and then hurt Runo? How dare you take Drago? I thought we had a deal that we'd put _me_ in the position in order for Drago to see that he needed to battle. I thought we decided that I'd be the guinea pig! We never mentioned Runo, or even you taking Drago!"

"Yeah, well, it just worked out that way. If you had stayed put, then things might have gone differently," Spectra snarled.

"And instead of taunting me while I was locked up, you could have told me what you were planning!" Dan yelled.

"Dan," Drago said. Dan glanced at the little red marble floating by his face and when it didn't continue, snatched it out of the air.

"Gate card, set!" Spectra shouted, tossing his gate card onto the field. "Bakugan, brawl! Bakugan stand! Go! Pyrus Helios!"

"Let's do this, Drago," Helios growled.

"Bakugan, brawl! Bakugan, stand!" Drago arose from a twister of flame, tearing through the open ceiling of the destroyed warehouse.

"Ability activate! General quasar!" Spectra shouted.

"Helios power level increase to eight hundred," the gauntlet announced.

"Ability activate! Burst shield!" Dan countered. Drago braced himself for the fireball hurtling toward him. It slammed into the shield with a loud bang, yet the flames harmlessly dispersed."Come, Pyrus Scorpion!" He tossed the Bakugan Trap above his head and watched tensely as the large red Bakugan materialized in the air above him. It landed on the ground below Drago and lifted its claws menacingly, but that didn't deter Spectra or the onlookers, Julie, Lync, and Gus.

"I'm afraid that won't help you," Gus smirked, knowing what Spectra would pull next.

"Forbidden Ability card, activate! Nova Blazer X!" Spectra shouted. Dan tensed, watching in horror as Helios' muscles grew in size disturbingly quickly and Helios roared in pain, but neither Spectra nor the Drago showed that they were willing to back down. Dan's eyes widened, then narrowed as he forced himself to look away. Drago watched in anger as the rulebook was thrown out the window and Helios discarded any honor he might have had left.

"Spectra, how are you able to put your partner through that?" Dan whispered.

"Helios do you have no shame?" Drago demanded.

"My honor is a small price to pay when it comes to ultimate power, Drago," Helios scowled. "Spectra!"

"I hear you! Ability activate!" Spectra cried. "Maximum Quasar!" Dan hissed.

"Helios power level: one thousand three hundred," the Gauntlet droned. Dan hissed, staring at the screen on his Gauntlet.

"Ability, activate!" Spectra shouted. "Maximum quasar!"

Drago: 400

Helios: 1,600

"Good luck beating me now, Drago," Helios roared.

"Tough luck," Dan responded. "Double ability, activate! Dragon contender plus Dragon clash!"

"Are you sure about that, Helios?" Drago questioned. Bright light filled the room. Julie, Gus, and Lync all cried out as they covered their eyes. Dan pulled down his glasses and squinted while even Spectra seemed to be having problems seeing. Helios braced himself, but despite that, his feet seemed to be slipping.

Drago: 1400

Helios: 200

"Helios!" Spectra cried out, shielding his eyes and bracing himself. A shout from behind him made Dan gasp and whirl around.

"Julie!" he cried, realizing that she and the others were having a tough time remaining in the same spot. Julie was clinging to Runo while Gus and Lync were kneeling behind them, trying to keep the girls from behind forced back and acting as a human—er, Vestal-shield to get that accomplished.

"Dan," Julie screeched. "Don't worry about us!"

"Spectra! Just finish the brawl!" Lync yelled, squinting.

"Gate card open!" Spectra commanded. "Flat power!"

"Dang it!" Dan hissed. "Ability-"

"Dan, enough!" Dan and Spectra both froze, turning in the direction that the voice had come from. Julie and the others had frozen, staring at the now standing form of a girl in surprise. Her pigtails were flying behind her from Drago's ability, and she looked very, very, ticked off.

"Runo?" Dan whispered. "Runo! But-how-?"

"Dan, you had to be taught a lesson," Runo said. "You've left me and Julie and Alice, and then you go and make a deal with the guy who fossilized Tigrerra _without telling us_. What else did you expect me to do?" The color had returned to her face and her cheeks were flushed with anger, but the bandages on her wrists and arms were still bloodstained.

"What-?" Dan stammered, unable to process this, as he stumbled backward.

"It's what you call makeup, Human," Gus rolled his eyes as he stood up. Julie grinned, getting to her feet next to him. Dan stared at her.

"Julie, you knew?"

"Well not at first," she admitted. "Gus and Lync filled me in while they woke up Runo." Dan's eyes flicked to the mercenary Ventus brawler and the tricky Sub-Terra brawler, both of which looked pleased with themselves. Dan turned to face Spectra, who was smirking. He stared at him for a second, then realized that Drago must have known, too. He turned his gaze to Drago, feeling guilty.

"Dan, you could have just talked to me, you know," Drago said, turning to the stunned boy. "I would have respected your wishes to keep fighting for what you believe in. You didn't have to risk everything by going to Spectra."

"Drago," Dan murmured, looking away. He stared into the corner of the warehouse for a moment, then he turned his gaze back to the large dragon. He was grinning. "Sorry pal," he said, rubbing the back of his neck. "I guess I got carried away."

"You guess?" Runo demanded. Dan laughed nervously, then lowered his arm, a serious look taking over his features once more.

"But I can make up for that right now," he said, "by beating this masked trickster." He smirked at Spectra, who stared at him for a moment, then returned the expression.

"Alright then, Dan," he said dangerously, but looked like he was having fun. "Let's go!"

"Ability activate!" Dan shouted, "Burning Dragon!"

"Ability activate! Nova defenser!"

When the time warp dissolved, the Gundalians and Vestals were all rather surprised to see Spectra and Dan grinning at each other. Runo was standing there, looking impatient yet happy at the same time, and Julie was smiling. Gus looked like he had enjoyed himself and didn't bother hiding his satisfied smirk, while Lync was also smirking with amusement.

Mira and Baron exchanged glances, then hurried forward, to Dan's sides.

"Master Dan? What happened?" Baron questioned, looking desperate for information.

"Dan?" Mira asked.

Fabia and Ren started forward while the rest of the Gundalians hung back, Zenet staying by Lena and looking confused.

"What happened?" she asked quietly. "I thought they were enemies."

"They must have had a battle," Mason concluded, one hand on his hip as he watched Fabia look at Dan.

"I agree," Lena nodded, adjusting her glasses.

"Nice job, Spectra," Dan nodded, reaching out a hand. Spectra grasped it with a smirk, and the two shook hands. Mira and the others stared at him in shock.

"What happened?" Mira demanded. "Why are you acting so buddy-buddy with Spectra?"

"Oh come now, Mira, is that any way to talk about your bro-" he caught himself, "enemy?" Mira stiffened, but fired back a subtle "Yes." Spectra let out a small grunt, but his smirk remained.

"I'd like to congratulate you on a fine battle, Dan," Spectra acknowledged. "It seems you've improved since the last time we fought on normal terms."

"Thank you, Spectra," Dan said softly. "Thanks... also... for helping me get Drago back. I guess that you did all of that for that reason, huh?"

Spectra was silent, his smirk melting away. He looked stiff, like he wasn't used to being thanked by someone who he was supposed to despise. Well, that wasn't what was supposed to happen anyway, but he looked really uncomfortable. Dan laughed, breaking the tension, and Spectra stared at him.

"Come on, how about we get a pizza? Just a thank you thing. Then tomorrow things can be back to normal. What do you say?" Dan offered. Mira, Baron, Runo and Julie all stared at him in shock.

"What is Pizza?" Baron asked. "Is it a statue or something?"

"No I think it's a thank you gift," Fabia contradicted him. Dan blinked and laughed nervously.

"No, it's a type of food," Dan explained. "It's really good! Come on, Spectra, what do you say?Pretty please?"

"Master Spectra?" Gus asked, walking up to the masked leader of the Vexos. After a moment, Spectra smirked and nodded.

"Alright. Just this once. But tomorrow, all bets are off." Dan's smile broadened.

"Deal!"

Dan smiled, closing the glass door on the balcony connected to his room behind him. Dan walked over to rest his arms on the railing atop the ledge, closing his eyes as a gentle breeze lifted his hair from his flushed face. The Brawlers, Gundalians, Fabia and the Vexos were all inside enjoying themselves, and even Alice had come to visit. At Julie's request, of course.

Inside they had put on music and Julie had started dancing, which resulted in a lot of chaos and trying to get Spectra and the Vexos to have a little fun. Eventually Mira had succeeded in pulling Spectra out onto the dance floor, and he finally threw off his coat and started dancing with her. Dan thought it was a little dangerous to have the leaders of two opposing organizations dancing together, but Mira and Spectra had assured everyone that right now, they were having a temporary truce. Dan couldn't begin to fathom how they suddenly got along so well together, and guess it would be best not to tell Ace about what happened here. (**Lol, jealous Ace)**

Lync had spilled juice all over his clothes and Dan lent him a green tee shirt and black pants, making the pink-haired teen rather irritated, but he took the clothes and told Dan that there were no promises with getting them back. Dan shrugged, not really wanting the clothes anyway. But he didn't tell Lync that.

Gus had somehow turned on the stove and caught an empty box of pizza on fire. Ren had grabbed a fire extinguisher and, without the slightest idea how to work it, succeeded in pulling the tab and putting out the fire. Thankfully, Dan's mother hadn't been around to witness that, and they opened a few windows to air out the smoke before she returned.

Sid and Gus almost came to blows more than a few times and it took Ren and Mason to hold back Sid and Lync and Baron to keep Gus from killing Sid. Now Baron and Zenet were charged with keeping an eye on the two.

"Dan?" Drago asked. Dan turned his head to look at the small Pyrus Bakugan as it bounced over to him, landing next to his hand. Dan turned it so that Drago could jump into his palm, which Drago then did, and looked up at the red eyed teen.

"What is it, Drago?" Dan asked. "How come you're not inside?"

"I could ask the same for you," Drago pointed out. Dan grinned, turning his gaze up to the stars.

"Well yeah, I guess you're right," Dan said. The two remained there in silence for a little while, allowing the breeze to cool them down.

"Dan, you do realize that you didn't have to go to all that trouble to get me to brawl again, right?" Drago said gently. Dan sighed.

"I get that now, Drago, but you just seemed... I don't know... you care about me. I know that you want to be there for me, especially when the going gets tough. You don't want me to loose you like Runo and Julie have now lost Tigrerra and Gorem, right?" Dan asked, trying to relate to the Pyrus Bakugan.

"Right," Drago nodded. "I just wanted you and I to be friends that didn't have to worry about loosing each other."

"But Drago, brawling is in your nature. It's in your blood," Dan protested. "You would have gotten tired of sitting around at some point."

"Not if I knew you were safe," Drago objected. Dan stared at Drago and sighed.

"I wouldn't be happy, even if I was safe. You wouldn't be happy either, Drago," Dan told him. "We've been brawling together since we fist met. Heck, we even first met in a brawl! If we stopped brawling... we just wouldn't be the same. We'd be abandoning our team. We'd be abandoning New Vestroia, and you're obligated to _protect_ New Vestroia. And because you're obligated, I'm obligated, Drago." Drago was silent, thinking over Dan's words. "Drago, we _need_ to brawl. Not just for our sake. For the sake of all those Bakugan who need our help. For the sake of our team. For the sake of our world, sometimes."

"Okay. I get it," Drago sounded amused. "How come you didn't just give that speech in the first place?" Dan stared at Drago with his mouth parted.

"Drago!" he yelled, and Drago started laughing. "Not funny! If I had known that was all it would take to convince you-"

"Having fun?" Dan jumped with a startled yelp, whirling around. It took him a minute to figure out that Fabia and Ren had joined him on the balcony, and both of them looked amused.

"H-hey! How did you know we were out here? And how did you get up here, the door's shut!" Dan protested, staring at Fabia like she was some sort of master of illusions. Actually, ninja made more sense now that Dan thought about it. She and Ren laughed.

"You've accomplished what you wanted done, correct?" Ren asked, getting down to business. Dan nodded, Drago floating over his shoulder.

"Then I suppose it's time we leave," Fabia said, glancing at Ren. He nodded.

"Huh? What do you mean, 'leave'?" Dan asked, looking between the two of them.

"We have to save Nethia," Fabia pointed out. "My homeland will be devastated unless we fight for it. Barodius and the Gundalians—no offense, Ren—"

"None taken," Ren murmured.

"—will completely ravage my home," Fabia finished. "I'm their princess. I have to be there. Aranaut and I will fight for it, now that I've got him back."

"We'll fight, too, with Nurzak and my teammates," Ren confirmed. "I don't believe Barodius can give me the answers I need anymore. His father locked Linehalt and me up for years, and Barodius never let me go without bargaining. I think the best way to get what I seek is to fight against him and see what he has to say. Besides, war against another land that did nothing to you is not right."

"Thank you, Ren," Fabia acknowledged. "I will see to it that you and your team are made members of the Castle Knights."

"S-seriously?" Ren gasped, turning to face her. "But, that's the highest honor on Nethia!"

"You switched sides. You're going to be fighting for Nethia, right?" she asked. He stared at her and nodded. She grinned. "Then you and your team deserve it!"

"Th-thank you," he knelt down before her, a courtesy that she must have been used to. Linehalt expressed his gratitude by flying over to her and landing in her outstretched hand.

"Thank you very much, Princess," he nodded. "It is a great honor."

"The honor is ours," Aranaut protested, appearing over Fabia's shoulder. Fabia smiled at the little Darkus Bakugan, then looked at Dan.

"If you ever find yourself in a predicament, you can call us and we'll do our best to help out," she announced. "And when you're done with your mission, send us a transmission. Here, I'll send the data to your Gauntlet." She held a device up and Dan nodded.

"Hold on, it's in my room," he said. She and Ren moved to the side while he opened the sliding glass door, leading them into the room. He picked up the red gauntlet from his desk and put it on his arm while Fabia held the device up next to it. The Gauntlet beeped a few times and various pieces of code flashed across the screen of it.

"Download complete. Coordinates of Nethia download confirmed. Save data?" it asked. Dan hit "yes", a word written in Vestal that Ace had taught him how to read. He looked up at Fabia and she continued.

"When you're done, or if you receive a transmission from me, please contact me. We might not have finished our war, yet," she told him. "We might still need help, and maybe you and the Brawlers can come and give us that help."

"I'll keep that in mind," Dan smiled. "Good luck, Fabia. And thanks you guys, for getting me outta there."

"Anytime," Ren told him. Dan reached out his hand and Ren took it, a gesture that Fabia mirrored.

"So are you leaving now?" Dan asked, looking from Gundalian to Nethian.

"... I think it can wait until the end of the party, what about you?" Fabia asked Ren.

"I think you're right. I would hate to ruin Zenet's fun," Ren grinned. Dan laughed.

"Then what are we sitting around up here for? Let's enjoy the party!" he cried, grabbing their wrists and pulling them towards the door of the room. Fabia and Ren laughed and followed him down the stairs, stopping to stare when they caught sight of Baron and Zenet trying to keep Mason and Sid from killing each other again.

"What did you say, buddy?" Sid demanded.

"I said that you wouldn't stand a chance against Master Spectra," Gus said calmly.

"Wanna bet?"

"Sid, that's enough!" Ren shouted.

"Gus, you know better than that," Spectra announced.

"It looks more and more like Gus is a lap dog every day," Lync snickered.

Dan sweat dropped when Gus started yelling at Lync and laughed nervously.

"Should we take everyone outside?" Drago asked Dan, landing on his shoulder.

"That might be a good idea," Dan tittered, grimacing when he heard the sound of breaking glass. "What the heck was that?" he shouted.

"Sorry Dan," his mother shouted from the kitchen. "I dropped a candle holder. Can you get everyone outside while I clean up?"

"Sure Mom!" Dan called, thankful for the excuse to get everyone out of the house, that way no more damage could be caused. "Alright guys, let's go outside!"

"Fine by me! Now we can brawl!" Gus growled at Lync, who winked at him. Dan sweat dropped.

"Not in the neighborhood! If you're gonna brawl, go to the park!"

"Alright then! Who want's to watch?" Mason asked. Everyone started shouting and Dan sighed.

This would be interesting.

**Breezyfeather: Okay! And it's done!**

**Dan: You had quite a few issues with ending that, didn't you?**

**Breezyfeather: Yes I did. Thank you guys for reading and thanks to the few reviewers I got on this story! I hoped you liked it! Now to finish Searching for Spectra and then work on Ultimatum, which I have been _dying_ to write for months! Thanks again! Ja ne!**

**Review please!**


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